Rogers realizes Make-A-Wish dream with graduation Saturday

When Lincoln Rogers was stricken with kidney cancer in high school he didn’t ask the Make-A-Wish Foundation for a trip or a chance to meet someone famous. He asked for a college education at Lipscomb University.

 

“The Make-A-Wish scholarship was very unexpected. When I made that request, that’s what was on my heart. I had it on my heart not to place a financial burden on my parents. Because of that scholarship and Lipscomb University helping me, I am at Lipscomb,” said Rogers, son of Wade and Kristy Rogers.

 

When the Winchester, Tenn., native set foot on the Lipscomb University campus in August 2001, he had just completed chemotherapy treatments and was eager to get involved in campus life. He soon joined the A Cappella Singers and was elected to the Student Government Association. Despite a relapse during his freshman year, Rogers persevered. On Saturday, Rogers will see his dream of graduating from Lipscomb become a reality as he graduates with a bachelor of science degree in biology.

 

“Lipscomb has meant the world to me. It has not only blessed me with an education, but also with friendships, mentors and has allowed me to see what I want to do with my life. I can’t explain what joy being at Lipscomb has brought to my life,” said Rogers.

 

Through Rogers’ five years at Lipscomb, he never lost faith even during a set-back his freshman year.

 

“I found out that the cancer had returned the day before final exams my first semester on campus. It was very disheartening. It was a hard thing to deal with. I think the hardest thing for me was seeing my parents so upset. It seemed like the whole world fell apart for them,” said Rogers.

 

The day after Christmas 2001, Rogers underwent surgery to remove the cancer. He spent the next nine months in and out Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and the hospital back home in Winchester as he received chemotherapy treatments and had a second surgery, during which a fourth of his lung was removed. Even though Rogers had been at Lipscomb only a short time, the friends he made during his first semester there helped him get through this time.

 

“While I was going through this relapse, I just kept praying, ‘Please let me get back to the place that I love.’ The people I met through chorus and the SGA were a core group of people who were with me when I got sick. These are friendships that have lasted since the very beginning,” said Rogers.

 

When Rogers returned to Lipscomb in August 2002, he continued to involve himself in campus life. He served as social director for Sigma Iota Delta social club, was a member of the Quest Orientation Team and was a Singarama director this year. He also developed a passion for medical missions in Honduras which he said “helps put everything into perspective.”

 

“The best way I knew to give back to the school that meant so much to me was to get involved in campus activities, to speak at dinners and to make a difference in this community. All that I’ve been through has made me really appreciate my time at Lipscomb and I wanted to make the most of my time here,” he said.

 

In addition to his studies and involvement on campus, Rogers also developed an interest in research. Two years ago, he worked on a research project focusing on Polymerse Chain Reactions at Vanderbilt University. This summer Rogers will participate in cancer research as he explores Wilms Tumor, which is what Rogers has. He will primarily concentrate on laser capture microdisection with Dr. Bo Lovvorn at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. “It’s very personal to me since it’s research on my type of cancer,” said Rogers. When his research commitment is over in August, Rogers said he plans to pursue graduate studies in biology at Middle Tennessee State University. 

 

Rogers’ health has continued to improve since his freshman year and he says doctors consider him to be “cancer-free.” But, he said it’s something that’s never far from his mind.

 

“It’s something you deal with 24-hours a day.I know that all we have guaranteed is what we have right now. I constantly deal with why I survived when others haven’t. I have to remind myself that God knows why I survived. Somehow he has put a peace inside my heart that has allowed me to be content with what has happened. Graduating from Lipscomb is an emotional time for me because of all that has occurred around me and to me while at Lipscomb. I have such a sense of home, a sense of where I belong,” he said.

 

Rogers was among 350 students graduating from Lipscomb University at commencement exercises Saturday.