Rouslan Johnny Agogho

Rouslan Johnny Agogho was born on August 1, 1982, in a small town in Belarus where his Mom's great grandparents are from. As the first Black baby born in this area, he was destined to be the center of attention, by the surprise and curiosity that the locals had with his birth.

Rouslan's world experience was a key contributor to who he was. As a child, he moved to Yaounde, Cameroun where he was raised by his grandmother (whom he called “Maman”), his Aunt Jeanna ("petit Maman”), his Uncle Serge ("big brother"), and his grandfather. He was later joined by his Aunt Angela, her husband (Igor), and their children (Maxime and Denis). Rouslan also grew up with his Aunt Natalie who as more like his twin sister. In Yaounde, he had a very happy and active childhood. It is where he found his love for basketball and met some of his best friends that he has until today.

In his formative years, he moved to Kenya with his Mom and Dad which is where he learned English and welcomed his baby sister (Anne-Sophie). The family then moved to Cotonou, Benin, where his little brother (Marc-Olivier – Sacha), was born. Following, the family moved to Budapest, Hungary, where he continued to play basketball and formed another group of dear friends.

His passion for basketball brought him to the US where he played in college in California. Coincidentally, lot of the same friends he had grown up with in Yaounde, moved to the U.S. True to form, he found himself moving from coast to coast including Michigan, Washington DC, and New York. No matter where he lived he always found a way to make it feel like "home" through his loving and outgoing nature. He was able to form deep, long-lasting relationships and was able to keep in touch with so many people that he met along the way.

Rouslan was resilient. No matter what life threw at him he would embrace it and tackle it head on. This was clearly demonstrated during his recovery from major knee surgery at 15 years old and thymoma cancer at age 33.

Sadly, on Thursday, September 15, 2022, Rouslan suffered a stroke. Once again, his resiliency kicked in as he fought for ten days in Harlem Hospital. During this time, he was surrounded by photos of loved ones and was read notes, and stories retold. He passed away on Monday, September 26, surrounded by his family, friends and a team of healthcare workers that all had tears in their eyes because of the impact he had on them even in the short time they were with him.

We will miss you deeply Rouslan. We will miss the compassionate, brave and lively person that you were and will always be to us. We love you.

Rouslan will continue to live through his mother Nadejda Do Rego, his father Jean-Claude Do Rego, his sister Anne-Sophie Do Rego and his brother, Marc-Olivier Sacha Do Rego.

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Love is stronger than death, even though it can’t stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries, it cannot separate people from love. It cannot take our memories away either. In the end, life is stronger than death. - Unknown