BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - AFTER months of treatment in the USA, Kittitian cricketer Codville Rogers, who was diagnosed with Lymphoma Cancer in 2012, is back to his normal way of life and commended all who assisted him in his time of need.
The top order batsman, who represented St. Kitts for over 15 years and had stints in Leeward Islands team, has said thank you to all who assisted him during his difficult time while seeking treatment.
“For the past few months I have been doing some intense treatment in Miami. It went well I must say I have to give thanks and praise to the All Mighty God.
“I also want to thank the St. Kitts-Nevis Association in Florida for its assistance and my friend in Miami who I was staying with. His name is Orville Depo Benjamin. He is also from Sandy Point. I also want to thank his wife Kristal Benjamin and not forgetting Elvis James who was very nice to me and I did not even know who he was when I first went to Miami; as well as everyone else who helped in any way. If I begin to call name I will get in trouble, so I want to thank everybody.
“I would like to say thanks to an organisation in America called the Sandy Point Benevolent Society in New York. They really assisted me greatly. They were really onboard, and all the other people in Miami. People gave their support all over…praise and financial.”
He also thanked the St. Kitts Cricket Association for its efforts in assisting him.
“I just want to tell them thanks a lot for everything and Iam grateful for what they did to assist me.”
Continuing in his commendation, Rogers said, “I want to thank all the churches and groups that held fundraisers for me. I would like thank my friend Kenny Douglas who assisted me, as well as everyone else who helped in any way…those who called and showed their support.”
Rogers happily disclosed that the cancer is now is in remission, but he is looking to return to Miami in a couple of months to “check up and make sure everything is ok”.
“Right about now I am feeling great and really, really good! I am back out to work, which is a good sign.”
He commented on the plans he has in returning to the sport that he loves.
“In terms of cricket, I haven’t played any as yet. Right now I am just doing some bike riding just to get back physically in shape. I feel that I might be ready maybe in the next month or so, but I am just going to play the shorter form of the game for now.
“Right now I just want to play entertainment cricket and local cricket. Honestly, I am not feeling the other levels at this present time.”
Rogers is described by Espncricinfo.com as a left-handed batsman who is a natural stroke maker that possesses the sort of timing and finesse comparable to top-flight players, especially when playing with a vertical blade.
It added that while he remains particularly confident when executing cross-batted shots, it has often brought about his demise in some particularly unwieldy ways. He is most comfortable to fast bowling and his upright stance and free flowing arms allow him to pierce the offside field with utter grace. Against slower leather-flingers, he is sometimes found wanting through a lack of positive footwork.
In a game against the England Test team on their 2009 tour of the West Indies, Rogers’ two half-centuries for the St. Kitts-Nevis Invitational XI left many spectators, a few journalists and perhaps some of the English players wondering why he was unable to play in an underperforming Leeward Islands team in the Regional First Class Competition, Espncricinfo.com added.
On April 2, 2012, Rogers was diagnosed with Lymphoma, which is a cancer of the lymphocytes; a type of cell that forms part of the immune system.
When diagnosed with the ailment, it was deemed curable but the cost of treatment was beyond his financial means. However, a national fundraising effort called the Codville Recovery Fund and headed by the Department of Sports and the St. Kitts Cricket Association (SKCA) got underway in order to assist in offsetting his medical expenses.
