A local teenager loses fight with cancer

HUNTINGDON, Tenn.–A local community is taken aback after a teenager loses his battle to cancer. The Huntingdon community is saddened by the unexpected death of 13 year-old Keshaun Phillips, who they say will live on in their hearts..

“He was nice and understandable,” said Keshaun’s friend Graydon Hall.

“I just liked how funny he was,” said Keshaun’s friend Austin Byrd.

“Caring, compassionate, fun to be around, can put up a good argument,” said Keshaun’s mother Kimberly Phillips.

Keshaun Phillips loved to play his PlayStation, ride go-carts, and hang out with friends. His mother Kimberly said he did regular teenage boy things, even suffering through acne.

But after one small bump didn’t go away, the family’s whole world turned upside down.

“He had a pimple by his nose that I kept taking him to the doctor for, and they kept telling me they didn’t know what it was,” Phillips said.

It was only until doctors called for a biopsy in March 2017, when Kimberly found out Keshaun was diagnosed with rhydomsacoma cancer.

“Twelve tumors in his nose, one tumor in his mouth, 28 in his neck on his lymph nodes,” Phillips said.

“It made me sad,” said Byrd.

“I still really can’t believe it,” Hall said.

But Keshaun didn’t give up the fight, with chemo he was cancer free for a week in July.

“His cancer came back, but it was aggressive,” said Phillips.

After fighting for 2-and-a-half years, Keshaun lost his battle with cancer Sunday, September 29.

“I’m going to really miss him being at school with us,” Byrd said.

“The basketball team is putting “Keshaun Phillips” on their shoes when they play. They day that we figured out, we did a walk for him,” Byrd said.

“He loved everybody,” said Hall.

“He was a great friend and he put others before himself,” said Byrd.

“That’s Keshaun,” said Phillips.

Kimberly Phillips said she will still decorate Keshaun’s go-cart as his Christmas gift.