At just fourteen months old, Keith Edmonds faced an unimaginable tragedy that nearly cost him his life. In 1978, a violent act left him with severe burns across half his face. Doctors didn’t expect him to survive through the night—but he did. What followed was a long and difficult journey through hospitals and foster homes, as Keith learned to live in a world that often met him with stares and silence.
He spent much of his early childhood at the Shriners Burn Institute in Cincinnati, undergoing countless surgeries to help him recover. When he was finally released, life didn’t get easier. His mother couldn’t care for him, and he entered the foster system. Growing up, Keith carried visible scars—and invisible ones. He struggled with loneliness, anger, and a sense of not belonging. By his early teens, he had already begun using alcohol to escape the pain he couldn’t put into words.
Adulthood brought new challenges. Addiction and depression followed him for years as he moved from one job to another, searching for purpose but never finding peace. Every reflection reminded him of what had been taken from him, and every drink offered a brief way to forget. Then, on his 35th birthday, something changed. Looking at himself in the mirror, Keith saw a man still carrying the weight of his past. That day, he decided it was time to take his life back.
He reached out for help and began the difficult road to sobriety. The process wasn’t quick, but it gave him a new foundation—one built on self-respect and determination. He started working in sales, first at Dell, where his authenticity and drive made him stand out. Later, at The Coca-Cola Company, he became one of their top representatives, earning the trust of clients and coworkers alike. People were drawn to his honesty and resilience. His scars no longer pushed people away—they became proof of his strength.
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