Emmy-winning weatherman Al Roker will be in Des Moines this weekend to serve as the keynote speaker for the 2025 Rally Against Cancer.
The event, held annually to benefit the UnityPoint Health John Stoddard Cancer Center, has raised more than $7 million over its 25-year history. Previous speakers have included MLB World Series champion Anthony Rizzo, NFL Hall of Famer Jim Kelly and Olympic figure skating gold medalist Dorothy Hamill.
Roker, who has served as the weather anchor on NBC’s “Today” show for nearly 30 years, was diagnosed with prostate cancer five years ago, a diagnosis he shared live on air.
Prostate testing ‘probably saved my life,’ Al Roker says
Al Roker attends the premiere of “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on March 14, 2024, in New York City.
In an interview with the Register, he said he was lucky his cancer was detected early during a routine medical checkup in September 2020.
“I took the opportunity to get tested, and thankfully, I did because that probably saved my life,” Roker said.
Roker underwent surgery in November 2020 to remove his prostate and nearby lymph nodes, and afterward, doctors found no evidence of the disease.
Even though he has been cancer-free for over five years, he said he still gets anxious whenever the anniversary of his diagnosis comes around and that he still has yearly tests to monitor his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level.
“Things right now are good, but nothing is ever 100 percent,” he said. “I would be a fool to say, you know, I’ll never develop cancer again.”
Al Roker found a silver lining in his cancer diagnosis.
Despite missing time from work and being in and out of hospitals for months, he said a lot of good things came out of his cancer diagnosis.
“Anytime you’ve had a health scare, you tend to have more of an appreciation for your world and your health,” he said. “You want to optimize your chances, and that comes by trying to eat better and exercise more.”
Since his battle with cancer, Roker said he feels it is important for him to share his story with others while stressing the importance of getting tested early and staying up to date on medical checkups. That’s especially important for African American men, who are almost 70% more likely to develop prostate cancer in their lifetime and twice as likely to die from the disease, according to a 2025 report from the American Cancer Society.
“I think detection is key for ourselves and for the people we care about, and you can’t detect without testing,” he said. “Ignoring health issues doesn’t make them go away; the more time spent without getting checked up, the greater the possibility for things to go wrong.”
Al Roker: ‘Maximize’ time with your doctor
He said he considers himself fortunate to have great health insurance coverage and a support system of family and friends to assist him during his battle with cancer.
Whether it be a minor injury or being diagnosed with something as serious as cancer, Roker said it’s important to surround yourself with people who are positive and to always advocate for yourself.
“If you’re lucky, you’ll get maybe 15 or 20 minutes with their doctor, and you have to maximize that time,” he said. “Having somebody around you to advocate for you and help you take notes is important because it can get overwhelming, and things are bound to slip through the cracks.”
“Make sure you take notes and follow up [with your doctor] and don’t take no for an answer.”
Iowa has ‘really good food and great people,’ Al Roker says before visit
Roker is no stranger to Iowa. He’s made several trips to the state in his career. And, in 2016 he hosted the then-Iowa State Fair CEO Gary Slater on air to sample the latest fair foods.
“I’ve been coming [to Iowa] for the Iowa Caucuses and to report on tornadoes and a whole number of things,” he said. “It’s a great place — Some really good food and great people, and I’m looking forward to coming to Des Moines this weekend.”
What to know about the 2025 Rally Against Cancer
Roker is the keynote speaker for the event on Saturday evening at Community Choice Credit Union.
Ticket sales are closed, but donations are accepted at stoddardrac.org. The program supports a patient navigator program, a wellness program and other services that are offered free of charge to patients at the John Stoddard Cancer Center.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Al Roker to share his cancer story at Des Moines’ Rally Against Cancer
