Keiser University Seahawk football player CJ Gilmore, a defensive back, and his team recently paid tribute to his mother Robin Age by making her an ‘Honorary Captain’ of the game along with Promise Fund of Florida’s Community Advisory Council member and fellow breast cancer survivor Shannon Burrows. The two conducted the game’s coin toss on the team’s home field located at Keiser’s West Palm Beach, Flagship Campus on Saturday, October 7^th prior to their football game against St. Thomas University.

Age, a US Army veteran, shared that her cancer journey began when she discovered a mass in her left breast as part of a routine self-examination in September 2020. After undergoing chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and additional rounds of immunotherapy for over a year, she is now thankful to share that she is now well, and although she will receive ongoing preventive treatments and monitoring for years to come, she is more appreciative than ever to her family members and the medical professionals who help so many.

“My experience with breast cancer, and all it entailed to be free of it, was by no means an easy fight. Every day in that life was a new challenge; and for once in my life, I felt totally not in control of my body and the rigors of what it was about to experience. Through it all, I learned to “trust the process” directed by some of the best medical professionals I could have ever encountered. I even humbled myself to allow my wonderful spouse Michael Age and my loving son CJ Gilmore to be my caretakers when there were days when I was sick to take care of myself.  For my son, who currently plays for the Keiser University Football team, I’m proud of you, because during these challenging times, I couldn’t always be everywhere you needed me to be, and you always understood and found ways to make things work in my absence,” she said.

Age’s breast cancer journey has inspired family members. “Strength does not come from avoiding challenges, but from conquering them. Embrace the obstacles before you, for they are the stepping stones that lead to growth, resilience, and ultimate success,” said Gilmore.

The Keiser University Seahawk Football Team prevailed in the game over St. Thomas with a final score of 21-14. To read Palm Beach Post coverage of the occasion by Rick Robb, please visit here.

Founded in 2018, Promise Fund of Florida is a nonprofit organization committed to helping women overcome financial and cultural barriers to improve health equity and reduce late-stage breast and cervical cancer deaths. With a small army of passionate, well-trained, culturally competent patient navigators, the organization reaches into underserved communities to find women who often haven’t set foot in a doctor’s office and convince them to re-engage with the medical system. To learn more, please visit promisefundofflorida.org.

Keiser University is a private, independent, non-profit university serving nearly 20,000 students at 21 Florida campuses, online, and two international sites. Co-founded in 1977 by Chancellor Arthur Keiser, Ph.D., and Evelyn Keiser, Keiser University currently offers more than 100 degrees from associate to the doctoral level. Keiser University is a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution, a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. in providing Social Mobility by U.S. News and World Report in 2023.