The Dr. and his Doctor: A story of Survival
BUSTA’S PERSON OF THE WEEK
By Busta Brown
“It was nearly 20 years ago, I was walking around in downtown Greensboro, I saw a sign for a Black Expo, and decided to go check it out.”
When Dr. Frank E. Robinson walked into the hotel lobby that was hosting the Expo, he heard a male voice talking about black power, and “I was amazed by what he was saying, so I went inside to listen. After his presentation I went up to him and introduced myself and we just bonded.”
That following week the two men met for lunch and from that day on became the best of friends. The male voice that caught Dr. Robinson’s attention was none other than Dr. John Raye, now a life-wellness-health-business coach who lives in Kernersville. He is a former TV personality and has lived in Washington, D.C., among other places. He has said he came back home after years of living away.
He credits his ability to continue enjoying his success to his good friend. “Because of Dr. Frank Robinson, I’m here today. I didn’t know what colon cancer was, and it’s the Number One killer of black men. That and prostate cancer”, said Dr. Raye.
He learned about the deadly disease the hard way, during a visit with his buddy Dr. Robinson. “Dr. Raye came to my office with his wife, with a vague abdominal pain,” Robinson said. While Robinson was telling the story, John Raye was smiling and nodding his head in agreement and joy. I could see and feel his spirit of gratitude. Robinson continued, “Because I did his physical and examinations, I knew what he was feeling would be best served by going to the emergency room that day. Not tomorrow, not next week. So I insisted that he go to the emergency room right away.”
Raye replied with laughter, “I didn’t want to go.” Robinson laughed as well, and then responds, “And I had to use the power of persuasion and eventually got him into my car.” The vibe remained light hearted and fun as Robinson continued. “He was evaluated, and was deemed to be a candidate for admission into the hospital. With subsequence testing it was revealed that there was a colon cancer that was brewing.” At this point into the interview I thought Raye would flash back to that moment with a heavy heart, but his smile and spirit became even brighter, as well as Dr. Robinson’s.
Shortly after that day in the hospital John Raye had surgery.
It’s been 20 years since his colon cancer diagnosis, and the businessman is still going strong.
“I don’t eat the way I used to eat. I changed my whole way of eating now.” Go to The Chronicle’s YouTube.com channel Winstonsalem Chronicle to hear what changes Dr. Raye has made to become a 20-year survivor, and Dr. Frank E. Robinson’s advice on how to be proactive so you can lower the risk of colon and prostate, cancer or how you can survive the disease and continue living a full and happy life.
Dr. Robinson is from the streets of Newark, N.J., and navigated the landmines of the U.S. educational system to attain one of the highest and acclaimed educational degrees in this country, the Doctor of Medicine. You can read more about his inspiring story in his memoir, “My Dominican Experience: A Memoir.”
To contact Dr. Raye, call (336) 996-4704 or (336) 782-8383 or by email rayeandrosie@aol.com.
