Doran Kemp Jr. knew he had limited time when he was diagnosed with brain cancer in early 2023. Doctors estimated he had about 18 months left to live with heavy, intensive treatment or six months without.
The Milwaukee Fire Department firefighter-recruiter and Milwaukee Bucks super fan, sat down with his wife LaKeisha Johnson Kemp on the first day of his diagnosis. She told him that they needed to “rip the Band-Aid off.” She was direct, telling him he was going to die from the cancer.
But Kemp, as he showed through his fight with cancer, wouldn’t let himself give in to thinking his diagnosis was terminal.
“Every day, he would wake up and say, 'We got today, we have today, and we’re going to fight,'" Lakeisha said. "They were telling him every time he went to the doctor more bad news."