Kevin "Racks" Gene Roster Jr. (March 9, 1983 – July 26, 2019) was an American with
terminal sarcoma
A sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that arises from cells of mesenchymal origin. Originating from mesenchymal cells means that sarcomas are cancers of connective tissues such as bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, or vascular tissues.
Sarcom ...
who moved to California to avail himself of the state's right-to-die legislation. He was an advocate for the legalization of
medical aid in dying.
He played in the
2019 World Series of Poker in the summer of 2019, and used the event as a platform to raise awareness about sarcoma and to encourage people to push for early detection and diagnosis.
Life
Roster was born in
College Point, Queens,
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
on March 9, 1983, to Debra Roster and Kevin Gene Roster, Sr. He built a successful family business specializing in collectible items.
He was diagnosed with sarcoma in 2017. After he found a lump in his leg, his physician ordered an MRI, and initially told him that his tumor was benign. Consequently, his diagnosis was delayed about four months, during which time he progressed from early stage 2 to late stage 3.
He received eight rounds of
chemotherapy
Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...
, 44
radiation
In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or a material medium. This includes:
* ''electromagnetic radiation'' consisting of photons, such as radio waves, microwaves, infr ...
treatments, and three surgeries, including the amputation of his left leg. After his diagnosis, his wife took over the collectibles business, and Kevin dedicated the rest of his life to raising public awareness of sarcoma and early detection through his blog,
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
videos, and playing poker. He played in the 2019 World Series of Poker.
Roster died via medical aid in dying in
Rancho Cordova, California on July 26, 2019. Roster chronicled the process and appeared at several charity events before formally announcing his death.
References
External links
Card Player profileHendon Mob profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roster, Kevin
1983 births
2019 deaths
People from Flushing, Queens
American poker players
Sportspeople from Queens, New York
Activists from New York City
Euthanasia activists
American amputees
Game players from New York City