"Refrigerator" Perry hospitalized in S.C.
Why
The Bears' first-round draft pick out of Clemson in 1985 told the Tribune last June that he suffered from the disease, which is an inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. The symptoms include general weakness of the legs, arms, breathing muscles and face. At the time of the initial diagnosis, Perry said, "I lost a little weight. I never had anything like this before. It just all of a sudden came up on me." Perry, 46, was one of just a handful of 300-pound-plus players in the NFL in the mid-'80s. Now it seems every team has at least five or six in that range. Perry became a commercial novelty as he helped lead the Bears to the Super Bowl XX title. Coach Mike Ditka made the most of Fridge's versatility by deploying him as a fullback and letting him plunge for short touchdowns with his uncanny quickness and tremendous girth. He scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl against New England. After retiring from football, Perry once boxed 7-foot-7 former NBA player Manute Bol in 2002. In 2003 he participated in Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog eating contest. He seemed to enjoy devouring the hot dogs, but he finished about 40 hot dogs shy of the winner. Perry, who has three daughters and a son, is also a grandfather. He made headlines when he had dental implants that corrected his once famous gap-toothed smile. His top front teeth had been shot out by a pellet gun when he was a child. Making his first visit to a dentist's office in 20 years, Perry's gums were infected and the procedure took three hours in the office of Vesna Sutter and Timothy Driscoll in Geneva.
Search Terms:
guillain barre syndrome, refrigerator perry, guillain barré syndrome, william perry, william the refrigerator perry, perutops
References:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/04/william-refrigerator-perry-guillain-barre-syndrome-south-carolina-chicago-bears-defensive-tackle.html,http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/30334952/,http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4087347,http://blogs.nfl.com/2009/04/21/refrigerator-perry-hospitalized-in-sc/
