About the Project
Roy S. Johnson was 11 years old when his father died of prostate cancer. That’s what led Johnson to get annual screenings. And, it inspired him to publicly share his own diagnosis on AL.com last summer.
What began with one moving column quickly grew into a series with impact. Johnson called for Alabama to do what it failed to do last year — make prostate cancer tests free for men at high risk.
“Cancer knows no political aisle, no left nor right,” Johnson wrote. “Only live (early detection) or die.”
In bitterly divided Alabama, lawmakers from both parties came together to pass a new law — and in a surprising twist, they even co-named it for Johnson.
In his Cancer Chronicles columns, Johnson wrote about the fear of living with the disease, the bizarre things people say to folks who have cancer, and how faith, family and medicine are invigorating him in his fight.
Cancer Chronicles
Organization
AL.com
Award
Online Commentary, Online Commentary, Package of Columns
Program
2026
Entry Links
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About the Project
Roy S. Johnson was 11 years old when his father died of prostate cancer. That’s what led Johnson to get annual screenings. And, it inspired him to publicly share his own diagnosis on AL.com last summer.
What began with one moving column quickly grew into a series with impact. Johnson called for Alabama to do what it failed to do last year — make prostate cancer tests free for men at high risk.
“Cancer knows no political aisle, no left nor right,” Johnson wrote. “Only live (early detection) or die.”
In bitterly divided Alabama, lawmakers from both parties came together to pass a new law — and in a surprising twist, they even co-named it for Johnson.
In his Cancer Chronicles columns, Johnson wrote about the fear of living with the disease, the bizarre things people say to folks who have cancer, and how faith, family and medicine are invigorating him in his fight.
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Winners in this category
Winners in the 2026 awards