4-time cancer survivor beats COVID-19: ‘I was taught to fight’

DETROIT – Otis Keith is no stranger when it comes down to fighting diagnosis and obstacles constantly thrown at him his entire life.

As a child he was diagnosed with cancer.

“At six years old I had a wound to tell him I had kidney removed. And I had cast a bombshell along removed,” recalled Otis.

Otis also recalls having other health complications as a young boy.

“When I was a child, I was taught to fight. I had pneumonia. And my mom, and the doctors told me I had to cough a lot I had to cough to get better,” Otis added.

To make matters worse, the father of 3 also had another battle with multiple forms of cancer less than 10 years ago.

“In, 2011 I was diagnosed with breast cancer and prostate cancer,” said Otis.

But he claims his hardest battle yet was with coronavirus.

Update April 26, 2020 -- Michigan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases up to 37,778; Death toll now at 3,315

“I tested positive for COVID-19. They wanted to keep me in hospital, but I said no, I want to, I want to go home. It’s so painful at certain points, and it tells you, just give up but I would tell people to fight you know don't get into it. It was just constant. It was like you can please stop,” added Otis.

He now has words of encouragement for anyone in the same battle. If he can come out on top, You can too.

“You can go through a lot of things and you, and you can still come out, you know survive. You know, you just gotta be strong and and fight it. I’m a living witness,” Otis concluded.

Otis credits prayer and support from his wife, kids and grandchildren for getting him through the roughest time of his life.

Anyone who believes they might have coronavirus should follow the CDC guidelines. Michigan.gov has a list of resources available to those concerned about COVID-19.

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About the Author:

Victor Williams joined Local 4 News in October of 2019 after working for WOIO in Cleveland, OH, WLOX News in Biloxi, MS, and WBBJ in Jackson, TN. Victor developed a love for journalism after realizing he was a great speaker and writer at an early age.