Meet Mr. March 2012 | Roger Rojas

Happy Colon Cancer Awareness Month! To celebrate, meet one amazing survivor, Mr. March, Roger Rojas! Roger is an avid runner, Steelers fan (although he's from Texas) and one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Read on to learn a little bit more about him.

The BASICS about ROGER ROJAS

Name: Roger Rojas Diagnosis date: October 7, 2008 at age 32 with Stage III rectal cancer.  

ON SURVIVING CANCER:

Where were you when you found out you had colon cancer? At the doctor’s office. How did you feel when you were diagnosed with colon cancer? I was in shock, it completely blew me away. What were your symptoms? A little bit of constipation, and that was it. What did your treatment involve? I had chemo 7 days/week and radiation 5 days/week. Then I had surgery, and after that 6 more months of chemo. What was the hardest part about treatment? Not having the energy to play with my children. My kids were young and wanting to do things and I had to force myself to do little things with them. Any recurrances? A few scares, but no recurrance. What got you through cancer treatment? I wanted to show people that cancer doesn’t mean you’re going to die. I wanted to show people that you can live after cancer.

WHAT HAS SURVIVING COLON CANCER TAUGHT YOU…

About your body?  I’m not indestructible. For awhile I thought I was on top of the world and nothing could throw me off but cancer got me. About life? Don’t sweat the small stuff. About family? They’re the most important thing to me. Do you do anything now that you didn’t before, thanks to cancer? I started running.  It’s made me look at things in different ways. I have to stop and realize that I’m just happy to be here. I don’t take things for granted anymore. Does cancer run in your family? There is a family history of cancer – grandmother had bone and aunt had colon. My dad had a benign colon tumor size of orange. What do you hope your message and survival story will do for others? I hope it keeps people positive and a positive attitude. That’s what you need to keep going.

RANDOM INFO ABOUT ROGER

Family: Carmen – wife and 3 kids - Frankie, Adrian and Cristi Job? Industrial Engineer Collect anything?  Tennis shoes and hats Hobbies? Running, Pittsburgh Steelers, hanging with my family and the weather channel. Where are you from? Kingsville, TX. Preferred toilet paper brand? Scott