Central Florida residents and tourists alike know the family name — it's emblazoned on the side of hotels, a convention center, a hospitality school and more.
Harris Rosen, the 82-year-old businessman and philanthropist responsible for it all, sat down for an in-depth interview with Spectrum News 13 to talk about a mission that has become a huge part of his life.
He intends to cure cancer.
But what he views as inevitable success won’t be his own — he says the credit will belong to his late son.
What’s in a name?
In 2018, Adam Michael Rosen died from brain cancer at the age of 26.
Losing his son inspired Harris Rosen to create a lasting legacy on his behalf, starting a foundation and donating $12 million to cancer research.
Poolside at the fitness center near International Drive that bears his son’s name, Rosen said his son was a champion for health and wellness.
He can imagine, while he’s working out, his son looking down on him, saying, “Daddy, thank you so much. Now, keep in shape.”
But physical fitness wasn’t enough to ward off his son’s cancer, so Rosen created the Adam Michael Rosen Neuro-Oncology Laboratories and the Adam Michal Rosen Neuromedicine Facility at University of Florida Health.
He hopes, when cancer is cured, his son will receive the credit for inspiring the scientists who make the discovery at a facility named after him.
And for Rosen, curing brain cancer is just the beginning.
“No more radiation. No more chemo. No more surgery. Let the immune system do what it’s supposed to do,” Rosen said, explaining that scientists are engineering patients’ immune cells to treat all forms of cancer.
He added that the use of CAR T cells is basically engineering a patient’s own immune cells to treat cancer.
How long will it take?
Rosen wants cancer cured right away, but he doesn’t have a specific timeline for success.
He’s not rushing the doctors and researchers who have dedicated their lives to combat such an insidious disease.
But, he says they’re optimistic.
Surrounded by memories
Rosen takes pride in the legacy he has built for his son, but at heart, he’s still just a grieving father. That’s apparent in the kiss he gives to son’s silhouette on the door to his fitness facility — or in the details of his wardrobe.
Wearing socks with a bow-tie pattern — he says they’re a nod to his late son’s unique fashion sense and love for all things bow ties.
