Toby Keith Shares ‘Debilitating’ Health Update After Stomach Cancer Diagnosis

Toby Keith is finally speaking out about his cancer battle, addressing it for the first time since his June 2022 reveal to fans. According to PEOPLE, Keith told fans he was taking time away from his music career to receive chemotherapy and radiation treatments before taking on surgery for stomach cancer.

Keith had been diagnosed with the disease in the Fall of 2021 and has been quiet about it since. But as PEOPLE shares, Keith will sit for an upcoming interview with CMT Hot 20 Countdown and discuss his optimism about the future.

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“I need a little bit of time to just rest up and heal up,” Keith says. “It’s pretty debilitating to have to go through all that, but as long as everything stays hunky-dory, then we’ll look at something good in the future.”

Keith’s post in the summer explained how important it was to heal up after his treatments. “I’ve spent the last six months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery. So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax,” Keith wrote. “I am looking forward to spending this time with my family…But I will see the fans sooner than later. I can’t wait.”

Keith was actually performing earlier in November, dropping by Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse in Lexington, Kentucky to perform “I Love This Bar” and a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.”

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“After a year of fighting stomach cancer, he chose Jeff Ruby’s Lexington stage to sing with Jeff Ruby. His first time singing in over a year!” Britney Ruby Miller wrote on Twitter, with plenty of clips of the appearance popping up.

While Keith is showing some of the effects of his treatments, including the visible weight loss, his return to the stage was a good sign for fans. He also recently celebrated Giving Tuesday by highlighting his Toby Keith Foundation charity, founded in 2006 to give support to children with cancer.