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Toby Keith recently made a triumphant return to the stage for a handful of shows after being sidelined for years with stomach cancer. Along with that, the country legend recently talked about some of the difficulties he has faced since having surgery. So, what did he have to say?
The Last Few Years Have Been Tough on Toby Keith
It isn’t a stretch to say that Toby Keith has had a rough go of things over the last few years. The I Love This Bar hitmaker was diagnosed with stomach cancer in the fall of 2021. Naturally, it wasn’t a shock when he took time off from performing and touring to focus all of his attention on his health.
According to Keith, it hasn’t been an easy road since then. He has dealt with numerous challenges since his initial diagnosis. Even so, he has certainly been a trooper through it all. Particularly as it relates to him being away from the road for years, Toby Keith said recently that he had to remember all of the lyrics to his songs.
Toby Keith Worked His Way Back
Before his diagnosis, and before having to take time off, Toby Keith had been touring and on the road for nearly 30 years. Due to this, he was a well-oiled machine when it came to performing and putting on a memorable show. However, much like athletes need to get back into game shape after being away, Toby Keith had to make sure he was back to being sharp and performance-ready.
Initially, Toby Keith thought he would have to use a teleprompter indefinitely with his lyrics scrolling by when he finally returned to performing. Luckily for him, though, he said that his lyrics soon came back to him. As a result, it wasn’t as hard as he thought it was going to be to get back in the pocket and find his groove.
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Country Legend Not Completely Out Of The Woods Just Yet
Toby Keith had surgery for his cancer. Even though this was necessary, it came with a number of other complications. For example, he needed to retrain the muscles needed for singing, as the surgery affected his diaphragm. Despite his best efforts, he also had to come to grips with the fact that there are just certain notes that he may never be able to hit again.
According to Keith, he still has a positive outlook overall, as he is seeing improvement with each passing day. On top of that, there’s also the fact that he is a lot older now than he was 20 years ago. Even so, many of his fans are happy to see that he is slowly getting back into his element. Considering how the last few years have gone for him, this is certainly a win.
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