I’m alive because of my BMX bike. The pain pills doctors kept feeding me almost killed me. A crash, leading to an MRI, saved my life and revealed a brain tumor taking up almost half my brain. I was then rushed to Duke for surgery to remove the meningioma brain tumor. My neurosurgeon said I had kept taking, or avoiding pain pills because they make me sick, rather than treating the underlying cause (brain tumor), I would not have woken up one day.
It’s crazy how it literally took a crash for them to scan my brain and see I wasn’t making shit up. They kept saying “no, you don’t need a scan. Headaches are just something people live with and it’s very common.I am going to prescribe you pain pills.” Then society acts like there is this huge opioid epidemic. True, but it’s created from doctors hiding behind their ego rather than helping patients. Goes without saying but not all doctors. Voicing this concern has led me to doctors that believe what I believe and truly care to take the extra step to help their patients.
For those of you who have no idea who I am, I am a Pro BMX athlete who moved away from home on Cape Cod, MA at 17 years old to train with pro’s like Dave Mirra in Greenville, NC. About two years later I rode X-Games for the first time after winning my first pro contest.
Less than a year later I fell and hit my head, and an MRI revealed a large brain tumor that was taking up a major portion of my brain. I didn’t know where to turn, but Athlete Recovery Fund stepped up to the plate and provided the financial assistance and direction that ultimately saved my life! Despite all odds, I recovered to become 10th overall in the 2016 UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup standings, not even a year out of ACL reconstructive surgery.
It is estimated that about 700,000 people are currently living with a primary brain or central nervous system tumor diagnosis in the US alone. Nearly 79,000 new cases of primary brain tumors are expected to be diagnosed this year, almost 5,000 being adolescents (0-19) years old and 17,000 people will lose their battle with a primary malignant and central nervous system brain tumor. An estimated 1.7 million people sustain a TBI annually, 52,000 die, 275,000 are hospitalized, and 1.365 million, nearly 80%, are treated and released from an emergency department.
Along the way, I’ve become very passionate about holistic health and nutrition and enrolled myself in a nutrition program to earn a certification as a Holistic Health coach on a path to better my health, life, and others in the world. I want to combine all of my passions into one live BMX event that will directly and financially help brain tumor and brain injury patients around the world. Being a brain tumor and brain injury patient myself, I know the mental, physical and financial toll it takes on you. I want to use my experiences and abilities to lessen that for others as much as I can.
I come from a family with no money, and I have been supporting myself since I was 17 by living my dream from riding my bike. I do whatever I can to give back now, and these global events will allow me to give back even more and on a much greater scale than what I can currently do on my own.
I want to create a global touring BMX event that will positively impact the lives of people around the world. To do this, I need funding. The problem is, I don’t have that kind of funding. So, how can I make this happen? Then I thought, wait a minute. “Josh, you’re a man of the people. Let’s start a fundraising campaign!”
The goal of this fundraising campaign is to raise funds to start and operate for a whole year so that way all the events we book, the merchandise we sell, and donations we acquire hereafter will be used to donate percentages of the proceeds to direct financial patient care. We are more than a BMX stunt show, we are a BMX stunt show offering free clinics for people to try BMX out after the show, live music performances, professional athletic trainers on site to provide demonstration therapies and techniques, and are backed by some of the biggest health facility, organizations, and corporations in the world.
I truthfully think the only thing standing in the way of me getting from point A to point B, is proper funding. Point B being inspiring, educating, entertaining, and supporting people around the world. I want to create and cultivate something large enough so that I no longer need financial support to operate events, and the organization is overbooked and giving 100’s of thousands of dollars away each year to directly support patients and get them the care they need.
This project is so important and means the world to me. If you guys help us out, I know I can inspire hope to those in need and completely change the lives of many around the world.
I can do this, but I can’t do it without you. Together, we can have an amazing time and leave a positive impact on our world.
Thank you for your time. I appreciate each and every one of you. See you soon!  -Josh Perry
You can help Josh achieve his dream of giving back and support his cause to bring awareness and assistance to those who suffer from tumors, cancers, and injuries of the brain by donating today!
“A lot of people think it’s a dream to work in a field that you believe in and that you’re passionate about. It’s not a dream, it’s just something available to the people who insist it should be that way.”
Just because the majority of society says to do “this or “that”, doesn’t mean that’s what you and I are meant to do. Follow your heart, do what you love, and love what you do. Why would you settle for doing something that takes up the majority of your day but doesn’t fulfill you, leave you happy every single day, challenge you and doesn’t fill you full of love and gratitude?
Saying you can’t make money doing something you love and are passionate about is an excuse, and I used to think that. Luckily for you and I, we can change our thoughts and create the lives we think, believe and feel are possible. Think it’s easy to do what I do as a career?
It is but then it isn’t. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication, on and off the bike, no doubt but it’s also easy in the fact that it’s just what I have to do in order to provide for myself doing what I’m 100% set on doing in my life.
Our mind is our biggest tool that manifests our thoughts into reality, which can limit us or help us thrive. Assess negative thoughts and sort out if you want to give them power or not. YOU control your thoughts and life. You choose to be enslaved or free by the thoughts you create.
Subconscious vs. Conscious Beliefs
95% of our personalities and day-to-day actions/thoughts come from our subconscious. Only 5% of what we do, think, and fell are conscious.
That being said, when a negative thought or emotion arises, determine where it’s originating from. Even if you can’t narrow down to exactly when and where, you can narrow down if it’s coming from you in your current being, an experience in the past, an experience in the future that’s yet to happen (anxiety), or if it’s coming from someone other than you. Once you can pinpoint where it’s coming from, you can delete it out of your subconscious and move forward with a new belief.
Fear is probably the most prevalent thought and emotion in today’s society. Fear comes from all kinds of sources, internally and externally. The good news is that we can re-wire our brains to think, believe, and feel differently. Google “Neuroplasticity”, which is the growth of new neurons and new neurological pathways/connections. If you have strong subconscious beliefs, which are primarily set into our brains from the age of birth to 7, it will take the time to recognize them and change them. But it is so possible and it’s what’s helped me so much in my life this last year.
The crazy thing about changing your thoughts to change the hardwiring of your brain, and what you manifest into your life (health, happiness, disease, stress, obtaining goals, relationships, achieving dreams, etc.), is that we are now able to see this take place at the atomic level.
Dr. Joe Dispenza had an 8-week workshop I’m enrolled in and the things he’s teaching are truly life changing. I’d suggest everyone watch his TedTalks for a quick glimpse into this subconscious and conscious science and how to improve your life. You won’t regret it! 💚✌️
Being diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor is not something anyone wants to hear, let alone a 21-year-old young adult living his dream. But, in March of 2010, I experienced this first hand after a new trick attempt had gone wrong.
Three years earlier, at the age of 17, I made the move to Greenville, NC in pursuit of this childhood dream of mine to ride BMX professionally. I was living as a professional athlete who would ride, train, and compete with and against my heroes, like Dave Mirra, in X-Games and other various contests around the world when I fell and hit my head one-day training.
Little did I know on that day my life would change forever. That crash would lead to a lifesaving MRI that revealed the mass taking up the left side of my brain. It was a complete shock, but at the same time made sense due to the symptoms I was experiencing that were previously ignored by doctors. Requests for MRIs were denied and instead I was continuously instructed to take pain meds when I got a headache or a migraine. It was just something I was told I would have to live with as a normal part of my regular day-to-day life. If it weren’t for that crash and MRI, I would not be here today.
Since then, as well as being re-diagnosed in 2012 with two new tumors and in 2017 with two additional tumors, I have become very passionate about the importance of holistic health and nutrition, fostering a positive mindset, not giving up when times get tough and supporting others. I have learned that many of my typical eating and lifestyle habits back then were just fueling the disease. It is now my mission to share with others the significance of the power to choose what we put into our bodies and the importance of the thoughts we have, our right to medical imaging, and the treatment options out there that are not as well-known as they should be.
My heart has always been in BMX as it’s served me in so many ways. From showing me the world and all the places I learned about in school, to something negative like a crash saving my life. BMX has taught me so much about myself, healthy life choices, and what really matters in life. That is why I have partnered with ARF in an effort to share all the wonderful things I have learned about life and health through BMX and my experiences. We will spread our message with non-profit BMX stunt shows for hospitals around the world to support those in need with brain tumors, injuries, and other disorders through BMX, education, and entertainment.
I am grateful and fortunate to be alive and healthier than ever today, and I want to share my passions to help support those in need. ARF was there for me in a time of need, and we are partnering together to provide that same support for others and share the importance of a healthy lifestyle, medical imaging, and treatment options for brain disorders. We will be sharing more about the project soon so stay tuned.
Until then, do what you love, always stay positive, and don’t be afraid to take a risk. You never know what you may learn and who you may inspire.
When you face a challenge or obstacle in life, or when you’re given a death sentence diagnosis, fear is completely understandable. I’ve learned that we have 2 choices, though. Choose fear or choose gratitude and love.
Your thoughts are your responsibility and choice. No one and nothing other than you have the control to make up your mind. That’s 100% you and what you decide to think. Life can be challenging or it can be easy, it all depends on your perspective on life with the experiences you encounter.
I could have easily gone with fear, felt sorry for myself after being diagnosed or with other situations in my life, and just crawled in a hole and gave up. I wasn’t able to, though. I was so focused on riding my bike again and had/have a massive amount of love & gratitude for my life, and that feeling & thought is what fueled my drive to live and succeed.
I visualized what I do so much that I would have dreams of riding and could feel it while laying in that hospital bed focusing on getting past that brain tumor surgery and riding my bike again.
I had amazing support from others, which is so crucial, so now I am that support system to anyone of you, as well as an example that we can beat the odds and do what we dream of when we truly set our minds to something.
For as long as he can remember, Josh Perry has lived off adrenaline. “I started riding a bike when I was 3,” he tells PEOPLE. “When I was 13, I went to ramp parks. I got my first BMX bike, and I loved it.”
He loved it so much that he decided to turn BMX riding into a career. Going Pro at 16, he entered his first contest. At 20 years old, he won his first event in Joplin, Missouri. His prize: a Harley Davidson.
That same year, he competed in his first X Games, the annual national event that focuses on extreme sports and airs on ESPN.
Things were going well. “I was looking to progress in my career,” he says. “I got a good start and was excited to travel, compete and make videos.
A Frightening Diagnosis
But his plans came to a screeching halt in March of 2010. After a fall while training, he had to get an MRI. When the doctor came back into the room, Perry sensed that something was wrong. “There was a weird energy in the room,” he says. “The doctor came out and said that I had a brain tumor on my left side. He said, ‘If it doesn’t get taken out, you will die.’ ”
In retrospect, Perry knew that something had been wrong. “I was getting the headaches in mid-2009,” he remembers. “And then I had some blurry vision.”
Still, the news was devastating. “My first thought was, ‘I can’t ride anymore.’ But then, I had to focus on preserving my life.”
Perry had an operation at Duke University in April 2010. “It was supposed to be a five-hour surgery, but it took longer,” he says, but the surgery was successful.”
Almost immediately, he noticed an improvement. “I wasn’t getting any more headaches. My vision was back to normal. I wanted to ride again.”
A Discouraging Recurrence
With the surgery behind him, Perry began to practice. Within three months, he was back to his old tricks – but the surgery had taken a considerable psychological toll. “That took two years to get my confidence back,” he says.
And then, tragedy struck again. In 2012, he was doing some BMX demos in India. “My mom messaged me, saying we needed to talk about a recent scan I had done. I knew instantly that something was wrong.”
Sure enough, Perry learned that there were two more blueberry-sized tumors in his brain – one in the right side, and the other in the rear. “They were near arteries,” he says. “Traditional surgery wouldn’t work.”
Instead, Perry had Gamma Knife treatment, a new procedure that bombards the tumors with radiation. Again, it was successful: the tumors have shrunk considerably and continue to get smaller.
A New Motivation
While Perry’s life still includes regular brain scans – his next one is in November – he has resumed his career. “I’m ready to keep riding and competing, making videos and succeeding in the BMX world,” he says.
My message is bigger than that,” he continues. “I became a science nerd when it comes to nutrition. People are torturing themselves by eating processed foods. Fast food isn’t really food at all.”
“I don’t know what caused my tumors,” he says. “Could it be from living near power lines? Or what I ate? Or head trauma? I don’t know. But what I do know is that people are killing themselves if they live miserable lives when they have the ability to change it. That includes how they eat, and how they live.”
“If there’s a message I’ve got, it’s that you can’t live in fear or dread. No one knows how long they have. So everyone, including myself, needs to try to live a happy, healthy life. We’ve only got one.”
“Being in gratitude for the non-yet manifested tells the universe that you know that what you desire already exists, and puts you at the right frequency to receive it.” – Jen Sincero
We are all creators and we’ve already created the lives we want. We just need to believe it, feel it, and be grateful for the lives we already have in order to obtain more greatness into our lives.
Exactly one year ago I got the chance to say I love you and express my gratitude for this man. Little did I know it would be the last time I’d have the chance to do so and am grateful for this moment as well as the gut feeling of asking Dave Mirra to lunch that day.
It was a random urge to pick up the phone and ask Dave to catch up and have some lunch, and I’m glad it happened. I’m not full of words today to express my feelings for this photo. All I have to share today is how honored I am to have had the chance to make a dream of mine come true, and then some.
I got to not only compete with Dave but got to train with him on a daily basis, hang out with Dave outside of riding, get to meet him family, and get to call my idol/hero/mentor my friend. What an honor to do so. I’m left with nothing but love and gratitude for Dave, the path he paved for me in my career and life with #bmx, and all he taught me.
“Everyone wants to win. But to truly succeed whether it is a sport or at your job or in your life you have to be willing to do the hard work, overcome challenges, and make the sacrifices it takes to be the best at what you do.” -Ronda Rousey, from her book “My Fight/Your Fight”
Never mind the fact I went into a 6 hour life or death full on open cranial surgery (April 2010) to remove a brain tumor that took up half my brain, but just within BMX I face so many challenges, sacrifices, and have to put in 100% every time I ride or I may end up in the hospital. That’s the reality of our sport and life in general to some degree.
We always face fear, challenges, and uncertainties. The hard work, persistence, and determination to be better than our previous selves are what gets up past these challenges. I started to take all of this even more serious after having a full reconstructive surgery (November 2015) on my right knee and an ACL and meniscus tear.
I don’t see it as hard work anymore. I see it as just something that needs to be done to get to where I want to be and then where I want to progress from there. That’s the beauty of life. It never stops providing an opportunity to grow and progress in any facet of our lives. Once we shift our minds from seeing an experience as “good” and “bad” to seeing all experiences as an equal opportunity to learn from and progress from, things become clear and precise.
A few days ago I was told the two brain tumors I currently live with are stable after shrinking for two years, thanks to Gamma Knife Radiosurgery (November 2012). Then I was told I face two more challenges. I now have 2 new brain tumors residing on the opposite side of my brain that the original tumor operated on (April 2010) was taken from. This makes me a little uneasy seeing as I was told the original tumor was benign yet new masses are appearing in other areas of my brain. Again, that’s life and the cards I am dealt and I have to play the game with these “cards” now. That shit hand isn’t going to stop me!
For me, #BMX is my everything. It’s my obsession, my state of meditation, my hobby, my career, my life, and my only option. I know I’ll never ride at this level forever, but I do know the hard work I’m putting in on and off my bike right now will benefit my career and what I create for when I’m no longer riding at a professional level. For now, BMX is what keeps me motivated to not let anything or anyone hold me back from accomplishing my goals in life and I’m forever grateful for my parents getting me my first bike.
I live, breath, eat, and sleep BMX. I feel that’s what it takes to do something you dream of in life. There are no excuses, just the ones we lean on in times of hardship and fear. I know first hand that’s not an option to living the life of our dreams. 💚✌️
