Travis Perry, now cancer free, had a lot of reasons to celebrate Greer's win over Daniel Friday night.
GreerToday.com
The toughest year of Travis Perry's life is coming to a close, but not without some reasons to celebrate.
The Greer High football team is headed to the Class 4A championship game Saturday (Dec. 8) against Myrtle Beach at Williams-Brice Stadium. Perry coached Greer to its last state championship in 2003.
But so much more importantly, Perry, the Yellow Jackets' assistant coach and athletic director, is cancer free.
“It's been a great week, and there's a lot to be thankful for with Thanksgiving,” Perry told a radio audience following Greer's 35-23 victory over visiting Daniel Friday night. “This has been the toughest year of my life, but I'm cancer free right now”"
In addition to the cancer diagnosis in May, Perry also underwent a double hip replacement in February.
Perry said he knows that remission is forever tenuous, but for now he is a cancer survivor who prays the moniker will stick. He asked for prayers from Greer's legions of fans over the radio and Internet broadcast, and said he put his faith in God after his diagnosis before the football season began.
Armed with those prayers and the steadfast assistance of family and friends, a chemotherapy regimen has stopped the onslaught from the rare form of bile duct cancer called Cholangiocarcinoma.
Surrounded by Greer's ardent fans, including former players, celebrating a long-awaited return to the state finals, due in no small part to Perry's defense, which held Daniel scoreless in the fourth quarter and forced three turnovers on downs in the final period.
“My oncologist was here tonight and at halftime he grabbed me and told me that the second half was ours,” Perry said, “and he wasn’t just talking about the football game.”