A Soldier's Journey to Survival

By Sonya Walker

October 2025

---

(Col. Ret.) Dr. Lawrence Henry's journey is a testament to the power of resilience, self-

advocacy, and unwavering spirit in the face of immense adversity. A decorated military officer, he faced his toughest battles not only on the field of battle, but within his own body. His story is a powerful reminder that even the most prepared among us can be blindsided, and that true strength lies in a combination of knowledge, determination, and a heart full of purpose.

A Life of Service and Accomplishment

Dr. Lawrence Henry's life has always been defined by service and a relentless pursuit of

knowledge. He graduated from East Stroudsburg University in 1993 with a degree in Speech

Communications and was commissioned as a United States Army Military Intelligence Officer. While in college, he was initiated into the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., a brotherhood built on the principles of Manhood, Scholarship, Perseverance, and Uplift. These tenets would guide his dedication to the fraternity and his path for decades to come.

His impressive career in the United States Army spanned 26 years, from 1994 until his

retirement as a full Colonel in 2020. Over two decades, he served in various command and staff positions across the globe, including South and Central America, Africa, and South Korea. A remarkable achievement in his career was earning the coveted Green Beret and becoming U.S. Army Special Forces Soldier. He is a veteran of the Global War on Terrorism, having deployed to combat zones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq over ten times. Resulting from various combat tours and military activities, he was diagnosed with several service-connected injuries to include Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. At the time of his retirement, he was one of only six black full Colonels who were Special Operations qualified and within the entire United States Department of Defense.

While serving, Dr. Henry continued to advance his education, earning a Master of Science in Defense Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School, a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College, and a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from Nova Southeastern University. After retiring, he continued to leverage his expertise, working as a Senior Trainer and serving as the CEO and President of his own small business. Further, he earned a Master of Administration in Justice Involved Care from Morehouse’s School of Medicine.

A Sudden Diagnosis and a Fierce Battle

Before his military retirement, Dr. Henry underwent a colonoscopy as part of his physical examination, where he received a clean bill of health. A year later, in the spring of 2021, he started experiencing extreme gas, bloating, and blood in his stool. Based on his extensive military career, he initially rationalized these symptoms as the routine ailments of from years consuming exotic foods, and ingesting water from foreign countries. However, as the pain intensified, his friends and family urged him to seek medical attention.

A colonoscopy at the Tampa VA Hospital revealed a malignant tumor in his ascending colon,

leading to a diagnosis of (military service-connected) Stage 3C Colon Cancer. The news was a shock, but Dr. Henry, ever the strategist, put his trust in the VA doctors. They performed a colon resection, a procedure to remove the cancerous part of his colon. Following the surgery, he began a grueling 12-round chemotherapy regimen with the drug FOLFOX. This treatment, which he received twice a month, included an intravenous infusion of a combination of two drugs: 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), which interferes with DNA replication, and Leucovorin, which enhances the effect of 5-FU. It also included a pump that administered the chemotherapy drug Oxaliplatin for two days at home. Oxaliplatin is a platinum-based drug that works by damaging the DNA of cancer cells, preventing them from dividing.

Halfway through the treatment, Dr. Henry felt an increasing difficulty breathing and a laboring of his heart. The doctors at the VA suggested he was fine and that he could forego a scheduled CT scan. Unconvinced, Dr. Henry insisted on the scan, and his persistence proved life-saving. The scan revealed he had developed blood clots in his legs and lungs—a rare but severe complication of the Oxaliplatin. This hypercoagulability forced his heart to work overtime and led to him being put on Xarelto (a daily blood thinner) and Metoprolol (a congestive heart failure medication), which he remains on to this day. Feeling let down by the VA, Dr. Henry dismissed his care team and transferred to the renowned Moffitt Cancer Center to complete his treatment. There, after being made aware of all his options, he made the difficult decision to discontinue the Oxaliplatin portion of his chemotherapy.

A Second Bout and a Renewed Mission

For over three years, Dr. Henry was in remission, undergoing regular surveillance. He lived with the lingering side effects of his first treatment, including severe neuropathy in his hands, feet, tongue, and circulation issues. The experience, however, ignited a new purpose within him. He founded a nonprofit organization, A Bridge 2 Light (AB2L), with a mission to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline and facilitate the reentry of formerly incarcerated individuals. The organization has three pillars: the protection of womanhood, intentional mentorship, and chronic disease awareness, specifically focusing on cancers that disproportionately affect black and brown communities. Leveraging his time as a Special Forces Officer, Dr. Henry modeled AB2L’s approach to training and building rapport with at-risk communities after a Special Operations Exercise called a JCET (Joint Combined Exchange Training).  In short, this activity enabled Special Operations Forces to enhance their cultural competence by training with foreign militaries.  That said, this concept fuels AB2L's focus on the “N.E.T.,” an acronym for Neighborhood Exchange Training, which follows similar principles of the JCET to enable trust and capacity building in communities where resources are scarce.

His world was shaken once more in November 2024 when a routine blood test showed an

elevated CEA level, a marker for cancer activity. After further scans, in February 2025, he was

re-diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer. This time, the cancer had returned to his colon’s

lymph nodes and metastasized to his right upper lung. Dr. Henry approached this new battle

with a different strategy, working with both the Dallas VA and Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The new treatment plan involved five rounds of a different chemotherapy regimen called

FOLFIRI, with the goal of shrinking the tumor before surgery. FOLFIRI is a combination of 5-

Fluorouracil (5-FU), Leucovorin, and Irinotecan, a chemotherapy drug that blocks a key enzyme in cancer cell replication. This regimen was much more taxing, causing him to lose his hair, eyebrows, and even darken the skin on his hands and feet. The experience was psychologically and emotionally draining, and he faced the very real fear of his own mortality. Despite his discreet feelings of despair, he somehow repeatedly conjured the strength to relentlessly drive AB2L initiatives. He brought awareness of his situation by often stating at workshops, and presentations “I am the new face of Stage 4 Colon Cancer” and challenged attendees to outwork him with a hashtag stating “#owtworqme.” In July 2025, he underwent a complex open surgery at MD Anderson to remove the cancerous lymph nodes from his colon, followed by another minimally invasive surgery in August to remove the nodule from his lung.

As of September 2025, Dr. Henry is in recovery. He feels well and his spirits are high, even as

he continues to deal with lingering neuropathy and possible memory issues. He’s back to

working and pouring his energy into AB2L, advocating for colorectal cancer awareness. His

journey has taught him many lessons, and he shares them with a profound sense of purpose.

His words of advice for other cancer patients is this:

“When you first get cancer, you just don’t know. You’re at the mercy of the doctors.

Education is paramount. It is of high importance to advocate for yourself regarding

testing and treatment. You’re going to face dilemmas such as deciding on natural

vs. pharmaceutical drugs. Stand strong soldier! Become a warrior in your fight for

survivorship.”

Col. Ret. Dr. Henry’s story is a powerful testament to the importance of self-advocacy. He urges others to do their research, ask questions, and be an active participant in their care. He stresses that the decisions you make are yours to live with, so it's very important to be confident and well-informed. His journey, marked by immense challenges, is also one of great personal growth and a deepened commitment to serving others. His story teaches us that true leadership isn’t just about commanding troops; it's about courageously commanding your own health and inspiring others to do the same. Lastly, Dr. Henry attributes his courage to face and defeat cancer and his desire to “stay in the fight” to a network of friends, family and healthcare professionals who would not allow him to “quit on his post.” From this experience, he created AB2L’s motto that he lives by, “let’s learn together and make “The N.E.T.” – Work!”