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Fridge: Ex-Bear is on mend from serious illness
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Published: July 3, 2009
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Michael Dean Perry knows that the day is coming when his good-natured, gap-toothed older brother will be back to his old, affable self.
But that will take some time and William "The Refrigerator" Perry understands that, Michael Dean said. William, a former NFL defensive lineman famous for his smile and 360-pound size, spent more than a month at Aiken Regional Medical Center this spring, suffering from Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disease in which the body's immune system attacks its peripheral nerves.
Now each day, Michael Dean Perry visits his brother at a North Carolina rehab center -- sometimes to encourage him and sometimes to participate in his long recovery.
"Baby steps I call them," Michael Dean said Wednesday, adding that William still is not up to being interviewed. "But we can see improvement."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, Guillain-Barre syndrome causes "...the loss of reflexes ... and paralysis of respiratory muscles also can occur. A small proportion of patients die, and 20 percent of hospitalized patients can have prolonged disability."
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says on its Web site that there's no known cure for the disease.
Perry's former coach with the Chicago Bears, Mike Ditka, said he saw something wrong in February when Perry attended an autograph session in Rosemont, Ill. Perry needed a wheelchair to get around and was 150 pounds lighter than when Ditka last saw him, said Ken Valdisieri, the Bears spokesman during Perry's time in Chicago and now the president of the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund.
Perry "did not look very good," Valdisieri said.
Charlie Timmerman, Perry's friend from Aiken, said that Perry had been hospitalized before. This time, though, doctors thought it was much more serious.
In April, one of Perry's brothers, Daryl, stopped in to check on him and found him weak and dehydrated. William was listed in serious condition when he was taken to the hospital, where he remained.
Michael Dean said that his brother, always outgoing and friendly, was reticent to complain or ask for help. As a former athlete, Michael Dean said, it's difficult to give in to the idea you are no longer invincible and perhaps that's what kept William, 46, from seeking treatment sooner.
William Perry rose to stardom as a rookie lineman during the Bears' 1985 Super Bowl run. He was on TV screens everywhere, a smiling, gap-toothed pitchman for McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken. He made a guest appearance on the television show The A-Team.
Perry played 10 NFL seasons before retiring.
"Someone of his stature, you always think of your vitality," said Michael Dean, who followed William to the NFL and became a six-time Pro Bowler with Cleveland and Denver.
Perry's doctors in Aiken saw his condition improve enough to release him in late May.
Valdisieri said that Ditka and others in the Gridiron Greats organization tried to move Perry to Northwestern University's Memorial Hospital. However, that would've cost about $350,000 for eight to 12 weeks of necessary therapy.
Valdisieri says that Northwestern helped secure a place for Perry at Carolinas Rehabilitation near Charlotte at no cost. There, Michael Dean and sister Patsy can monitor their brother and cajole him into sticking with his rehab.
William must undergo six to seven hours of speech and physical therapy each day to improve his deteriorated motor skills, Michael Dean says.
Once frail-looking at 200 pounds, "The Fridge" has found his appetite and is back up near 275, his brother said. "I don't know if that's a good thing," Michael Dean said with a laugh.
William will need another two to three weeks at the rehab center, then will move to a nearby assisted-living facility -- Michael Dean declined to identify the location because of William's popularity -- to continue his recovery. Michael Dean also wasn't sure when William might return to Aiken.
Gridiron Greats has continued to monitor Perry's progress and has used its medical assistance fund to help the Perrys with incidentals, Valdisieri said.
Timmerman, an Aiken veterinarian who grew up playing sports with the Perrys, began The Fridge Fund, where well-wishers and fans can drop a note or donate to defray medical costs (www.fridgefund.homestead.com).
Valdisieri says that people can also donate to the fund through Gridiron Greats (www.gridirongreats.org).
Michael Dean vows that his brother won't be left alone in making it back. "We're going to keep a good eye on him," he said.
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