‘Cha-Cha Slide’ Creator Battles Two Types Of Cancer

By Carter Higgins, blackdoctor.org

Everybody and their mama (literally) have heard his song and done his dance. We’re talking about the one and only Cha-Cha Slide by Casper or Mr. C, the Slide Man. Chances are you’ve heard it at a wedding, barbecue or at your office party — either way, this Chicago native has made everyone around the world dance.

Now, he’s hoping to beat his diseases so he can dance once again.

Born Willie Perry, Jr, Casper called on his wife when he didn’t feel right.

“He told me that when he went to urinate, he found blood in his urine,” Joyce Lynn Perry, his wife who is also a registered nurse said. “I told him, ‘go to the emergency room right now’ and he went.”

At the hospital doctors said they found that he had a tumor the size of a football.

But as the doctors were operating to the remove the mass, it became clear that something else was going on. The doctors found that Casper not only suffered from kidney cancer, but also a rare form of neuroendocrine cancer as well.

Dr. Courtney Hollowell, Casper’s doctor, said that both cancers are in their advanced stages.  Casper is now taking chemotherapy pills to try to combat the disease.

A neuroendocrine tumor may grow slowly or aggressively and spread to other parts of the body. Many people do not develop symptoms and the tumor is detected incidentally. When symptoms occur, they can vary based on the location of the tumor. In rare cases, skin flushing or fluctuating blood sugar levels may occur.

(Photo courtesy of Casper GoFundMe)
(Photo courtesy of Casper GoFundMe)

When cancer is found in the liver, it has often spread from somewhere else in the body (liver metastasis). Symptoms are uncommon in the early stages of liver cancer. Later, symptoms may include weight loss, belly pain, vomiting, and yellowed skin. Some people may experience pain in the abdomen, gastrointestinal bloating, fluid in the abdomen, nausea, or vomiting. Others also complain of fatigue or loss of appetite.

Some of the most common symptoms of liver cancer are itching, weight loss, or yellow skin and eyes.

In order to help with some of the medical costs, which range in upwards of $10,000 per month, Casper has set up a GoFundMe page for those who like to support.

But even through it all, Casper still does his weekly radio show and is in good spirits.

For more about liver cancer, click here.

To support Casper and find out events/appearances, click here.

 

 

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