Winning against cancer
Legendary Texas A&M University football coach shares his own cancer journey.
With more wins under his belt than any other football coach in Texas A&M University history, R.C. Slocum faced another formidable opponent when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2021.
At the encouragement of his wife, Coach Slocum visited his physician about a persistent cough. A chest X-ray and further tests revealed he had Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer affecting the body’s immune system. He spent the next six months undergoing 12 rounds of chemotherapy at Baylor Scott & White Cancer Center - College Station.
Coach Slocum says he approached cancer treatment the way he would anything else—with a winning attitude. “It’s like going into a football game—it’s going in with a positive attitude that we give this thing a chance and not throw in the towel,” he says.
Now cancer-free, Coach Slocum advocates for being proactive about healthcare and the early detection that saved his life. “We tend to put our health in the background and put all these other little things upfront,” he says. “So the message I’d like to give is don’t delay. Have a routine plan for taking care of your health, and making it a priority for you and your family.”
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