Willie was born and grew up in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana. He came from a large family (he was one of 17 children), and he was forced to go to work early in life to help his mother support the family. “My first job was driving a tractor on a farm, but I didn’t make enough money at that, so I went to work in the oil field.”
Following his oil field work, Willie found employment at the Coca-Cola plant in Homer until he had an opportunity to go to work making gloves in Haynesville. “I hauled some pulpwood, too, and made some good money doing that,” he recalled. “Then I got a job for North American Van Lines driving a moving truck, but that kept me away from home all the time, so I took a short-hauling job in Springhill.”
Sometime in the early to mid 1990s, Willie went to work for Lewis Funeral Home digging graves, and worked there for many years. He met his wife, Mary, during this time when he was attending Bethlehem Baptist Church.
The he noticed one day that an acid reflux problem he’d been having was getting really bad. “They told me I needed to go to the doctor, but what man wants to go to the doctor? We don’t want to do that.” It got to the point that Willie couldn’t sleep at night, so he finally went to a doctor in El Dorado. Following that visit, he returned home only to find that he had been called back to the doctor. “The doctor told me I had cancer, but I didn’t believe him. High blood pressure and diabetes run in my family, but not cancer.”
He had surgery to remove the cancer, but it came back in the same place. That required additional surgery to repair his stomach, but this time he developed a serious infection which caused his stomach to burst open. He was rushed back to the doctor for more surgery to clean out the infection, and was left with an open stomach to contend with. In order for his stomach to heal, it had to be left open for an extended period of time.
The wound had to be dressed twice a day by nurses, but at some point the nurses quit coming and his wife Mary had to do it. “I ended up filling in for the nurses,” Mary said, “and it’s not easy for a wife to be a nurse and caregiver to her husband.”
The wound finally healed enough for Willie to go back to the hospital for chemo three to four times a week. “I went through so much trouble, but I was a fighter, still a fighter. I won’t give up,” he said. After the last surgery and chemo, he was put on a blood thinner, which would have more repercussions for him.
“I had a real bad headache one day, and it was something I’d never experience before. I knew something had to be wrong for my head to be hurting this bad.” He was rushed to El Dorado where he was diagnosed with a brain bleed, which meant a helicopter ride to Little Rock. There the doctors did an MRI, and Willie had emergency surgery to save his life.
When he got home, he started having problems with the left side of his body. His brain had been damaged due to the bleeding, he said. “I can’t hear in my left ear, and Parkinson’s Disease has developed along with Lewy bodies. I have weakness in my leg and bouts of depression.” Willie had to give up going to football games and other activities he loved. And to make it worse, during this time he lost his mother, daughter, and two brothers.
Willie has now been diagnosed with prostate cancer to go along with his stomach cancer, and he is taking treatments. He’s in remission from his stomach cancer but still has to be treated for it. On top of that, he has now developed heart problems.
“I’m a fighter,” he said. “I might give out, but I won’t give up. And what I want to tell people is that cancer don’t care about nobody. Cancer will come in there and get you. So, go to the doctor and get checked if you don’t feel right. These young men don’t want to go, but don’t wait — get it done now before it’s too late.”
Champ credits his wife, Mary, for still being here. “Having someone stick beside you no matter what is the best thing, ever. She’s been by me all this time, and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her. I’ve been through some times, and I didn’t want her to see me cry. But look at me. I’m still here, I’m still fighting. And I talk to the Lord every day, but I’m just not ready to see Jesus yet,” he stated.
“I don’t hang my head down, and every time I go to the mirror, it’s another blessed day,” he said. Willie also credited a great sense of humor for helping him get through his illnesses. “That really helps, and it’s got me through some tough times.” Willie still enjoys company. “I fell real good when people come around to see me.”
It’s likely Willie makes them feel even better, and Champ is certainly a fitting name for this man.