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Staff Members Wear Hats in Support of Nina Rogers

When Nina Rogers entered the UT Tyler Administration Building on the morning of May 15, she wondered why enrollment management staff members were lined up in the hall.

“I thought, ‘What have I forgotten? There must be a meeting that I forgot about,’ “ the university’s registrar recalled.

Nina Rogers (fifth from right) with the enrollment management staff on Hat Day.

On second glance, she noticed that everyone was wearing a hat. And then Jim Hutto, dean of enrollment management, welcomed her to “Hat Day.” The special day was planned on her behalf, as an expression of support.

Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in June of last year, Rogers has received a series of chemotherapy treatments resulting in hair loss. She wears a hat or a wig while her hair is in the process of growing back. Recently, with the weather turning warm and humid, the wig became uncomfortable so she began wearing hats exclusively.

“Everyone wore a hat for me all day long and it was very sweet,” she said of Hat Day. “It was very supportive of everyone to want to feel a part of my treatment and my cure. I was surprised but, at the same time, I was not surprised at all because that is just what everyone at this university does for you, just to make you feel welcome.

“Everyone has been very supportive through the whole process, and they’ve demonstrated that time and time again, not only in their words of encouragement and prayers but also in demonstrating these acts of kindness,” she added.

“Wearing a hat was a simple way for each of us to express a profound reality: The UT Tyler family loves Nina, admires her daily courage, and rejoices in her continuing recovery,” said Dr. Dale Lunsford, vice president for student affairs and external relations. “Cancer is a powerful foe but it cannot destroy faith, hope, and love. Nina is teaching this truth to all of us.”

Rogers received three rounds of chemotherapy commonly referred to as Taxol Carbo prior to undergoing surgery at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in August. She returned home after a week in the hospital and spent a week recuperating before returning to work.

After surgery, Rogers received six additional rounds of chemotherapy before tests indicated that she was in remission. The good report came on March 20. She is now in the process of preparing for a bone marrow transplant, which is considered the most aggressive ammunition to help her to remain in remission.

She said she has been “very blessed” throughout the entire process. “I’ve been much stronger than the doctors told me that I would be. With the Taxol Carbo, I was told to expect to be nauseous and to expect to be sick for days. I was not. Most of the time, when I experience nausea, it is when I’ve done too much and I’m fatigued.”

Rogers said her faith and the support of her family and friends, combined with the day-to-day support she has received from the campus community has been vital to her progress.

“We are winning this battle together,” she said.

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Contact person: Emily Battle, (903) 565-5604