A Personal Challenge Met with Inner Strength and Teamwork

Drew Rogers is always up for a little friendly competition. An accomplished hockey player and Dragon Boat paddler and coach, he enjoys the challenge and teamwork.

He faced a different kind of challenge when a sore throat that wouldn’t go away was diagnosed as throat cancer. His physician team recommended a combination of chemotherapy and proton therapy, a targeted and advanced cancer treatment.

The proton therapy part of Drew’s treatment for throat cancer was done at the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute in 2023. He recalls the exceptional radiation therapists, physicians and staff who made him feel at ease with their caring and positive manner. The proton therapy combined with chemo treatment was successful and today, three years later, he is in good health and ready for more friendly competition ahead.

He credits his Dragon Boat teammates with helping him through a difficult time in dealing with cancer. They encouraged him and included him in training, even if he needed more breaks as he regained strength. As a result, 2025 was a busy year of racing.

In July 2025, Drew paddled for the US Dragon Boat Federation Team USA SRC division. He and his teammates competed in Germany in the 17th World Dragon Boat Racing Championships and returned with three bronzes and two silver medals. In October 2025, he paddled and coached the Jacksonville Dragon Boat Club in the sport’s national race in Sarasota, Fla., where he and his teammates brought home two bronzes and one silver.