Cancer Survivor 'Elevator Bob' Helps Patients in Charlotte

Bob Lane knows exactly what it feels like to hear the words "you have cancer" and feel completely alone.

The 70-year-old Charlotte resident was diagnosed with prostate cancer twice. Now four years cancer-free, he stations himself in the third-floor lobby of Urology Specialists of the Carolinas with a simple mission: make sure no one faces this journey without support.

Lane hands out pamphlets about symptoms, support groups, and the importance of diet and exercise. He gives patients his business card and follows up with personalized emails containing credible information tailored to their needs.

"There wasn't a lot of information that was readily available," Lane recalls about his own diagnosis. "It was frustrating not knowing how to find what the side effects were going to be."

That frustration transformed into action. Lane decided to become the person he wished had been there for him.

Patients have nicknamed him "Elevator Bob" because he's become such a recognizable presence at the clinic. Nurse Tracy Peck confirms everyone knows him: "Oh yeah, I know, I know, Elevator Bob. We talk."

Dr. Rhea Rogers, a board-certified physician and breast cancer survivor herself, calls what Lane is doing courageous. She notes that men are especially reluctant to discuss prostate cancer and related side effects like erectile dysfunction.

"I tell people, it's a diagnosis, it's not a death sentence," Rogers says. "And that's what he's doing. He's letting people know it's a diagnosis. We can get through it."

The Ripple Effect

Lane's volunteer work addresses a critical gap in cancer care. The emotional support he provides creates a ripple of hope through the clinic, turning anxious waiting rooms into spaces of possibility.

Gerontologist Sam Cradduck describes Lane's presence as true empathy in action. "True empathy is comforting with the same comfort you've been comforted with," she explains.

For Lane, success is measured in simple moments. "A win is being able to help someone who I'm speaking with for the first time and show them they're not alone," he says.

His motivation remains straightforward and powerful: "I do it because it helps people and it's making a difference for people."

In a world where men often suffer in silence about prostate cancer, Elevator Bob stands ready to listen, share, and remind everyone who steps off that elevator that hope is real and they don't have to walk this path alone.