Toby Keith has the entire country music world rooting for him.
The Big Dog Daddy has remained largely out of the public eye for the last year and a half after announcing that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer, cancelling his 2022 tour as he underwent chemotherapy.
But recently Toby has been getting back on stage, performing a few surprise pop-up shows at his bar in Oklahoma and also delivering a surprise performance at Tin Roof in Orlando.
In an interview with The Oklahoman, Toby said that he’s hoping to get back to touring:
“I’ve got more wind. And I’m thinking about bringing the band in and setting up, playing two or three days somewhere just to see if I can get through two hours.
All I gotta do is see if I can get through two or three nights of work and get a little break in this chemo, and we’ll go back to work.”
And tonight, Toby made his first televised appearance since announcing his cancer diagnosis, accepting the Country Icon Award at the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards and also delivering an emotional performance of “Don’t Let The Old Man In,” his 2019 song about coming to terms with growing old.
But before the show, Toby stopped while walking the red carpet to give everybody an update on his health amid his cancer battle.
Speaking with Extra, Toby said that he’s feeling good, despite the ups and downs:
“I’ve walked some dark hallways. The Almighty’s riding shotgun.
But I feel pretty good. You have good days and bad days, but it’s a little bit of a rollercoaster. But I’m doing a lot better than I was this time last year.”
Toby also credited his faith with getting him through his current battle:
“I’ve always wrote with a prayer, and as long as I have Him with me, I’m cool. You just have to dig in, you don’t have a choice.”
It’s great to hear Toby’s doing better – and hopefully he’s able to get back on tour soon if he’s still got the itch.