PORT NECHES, Texas — A Port Neches-Groves High School student took to social media to make the exciting announcement that he beat a rare form of cancer.
Tae’von Perry made a post on Instagram Saturday saying, “Hey, remember my post about having Leukemia? Yeah well I beat it.”
As of Monday afternoon, the post has almost 500 likes and includes hashtags such as cancer survivor, cancer fighter, APML and strong. According to a previous post, APML is the type of cancer Perry was diagnosed with.
A routine dental surgery led to Perry's rare diagnosis. He and his mom went to the dentist to get all four of his wisdom teeth removed on December 28, 2022.
The visit was only expected to last an hour, but Perry’s gums began badly bleeding after the surgery ended.
"They kept giving me gauze and, like, trying to stop the bleeding, but it just wouldn't stop," Perry previously told 12News. "So, every time I would get up, I would pass out."
During his final fainting spell, Perry lost consciousness for five minutes and was rushed to Baptist Hospital in Beaumont.
"We were there," Perry said. "We did blood work and all of my numbers were very, very low, and it was, like, low to the point where it was concerning."
From there, he was taken to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. Perry tested positive for a rare form of leukemia.
While he was getting treatment, Perry's doctors were optimistic about his recovery.
The community gathered to support Perry and his family during his battle. In March 2023, they held a fundraiser to raise money for medical expenses with the chemo itself costing thousands of dollars.
Perry likes to sing in his school's choir, is active in his church and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
