Charles R. Rogers, Founder and President at Colorectal Cancer Equity Foundation, Chief Advisor at Rogers Solutions Group, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Cancer has a way of revealing who and what was never built to hold us.
An honor to close out my business travel for 2025 by briefly attending AllyCon, hosted by the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, in Miami Beach this weekend. AllyCon is the Alliance’s premier annual conference for patients, survivors, caregivers, and families, grounded in expert education, peer connection, advocacy, and the quiet courage required to navigate colorectal cancer.
As a leader in this space, I did not attend to speak.
I attended to listen.
To sit with the lived experiences of people directly impacted by a disease that is preventable, beatable, and treatable, yet still reshapes lives because systems fail, conversations are avoided, and humanity too often falls short. I needed the reminder of the responsibility this work carries.
Yes, 78° weather by the Atlantic Ocean in December is never a bad thing. And neither is slipping away for a moment to Salt & Straw for some much needed, ridiculously good ice cream. Small joys matter, especially when the stories are heavy.
What stayed with me most were the repeated truths shared across rooms and hallways.
Being a high performer.
Being dependable.
Being loyal.
None of it guarantees care when cancer enters your life.
Over and over, people shared how employers pulled back, benefits failed, and financial stability collapsed at the very moment support was needed most. Cancer does not just attack the body. It disrupts income, identity, dignity, and security.
One of the most grounding moments came from Dondre Williams, who offered a reminder that felt both simple and necessary:
‘Be human.’
Rest without explanation.
Cry without apology.
Take the family vacation.
Choose life while you still can.
Another message echoed throughout the weekend:
You must advocate for yourself ruthlessly in our sick care system.
Not because it is fair, but because it is required to survive it.
Financial toxicity remains a relentless burden. The cost of care combined with interrupted work continues to push families to the brink long after treatment plans are signed.
And the silence around fertility preservation for adolescent and young adult cancer thrivers has to end. Futures are being altered without informed choice. Hope should never be an afterthought.
The final gift of this trip was reconnecting and building with fellow allies from Colorado to New York to California, all showing up with humility, purpose, and resolve. Community is not optional in this fight.
I left AllyCon reminded that cancer changes everything.
But compassion, courage, and collective advocacy can still change outcomes.
If we are serious about saving lives, we have to start by protecting the people living them.”
More posts featuring Charles R. Rogers.
