The 30-year-old Wise was a professional basketball player, with career stops across Europe and Australia, and has organised the three-day 'CancerBae Classic' at the Essex Sport Arena in Colchester, from 30 August-1 September.
The tournament will see 16 of the UK’s top U12 basketball teams, including the likes of Essex Rebels and Southend Scorpions, taking part across three days of intense competition.
The event is not just about crowning champions however, it will also raise awareness about cancer, a very important subject for Wise.
The 6'9" forward had a tumour known as a pheochromocytoma, which affects the adrenal gland. This led to a further diagnosis of a condition known as multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN 2).
Following some intensive treatment, Wise is now back on the court and involved in the sport he loves, helping the next generation as a stage four cancer patient.
"Since my diagnosis, I have been on a mission to be one of the biggest influencers for cancer and cancer awareness and in doing so, trying to do everything in my power to raise awareness and support for those currently on their journey," said Wise, via his GoFundMe page for his new cancer charity CancerBae.
"For me, cancer is not a taboo word that we should avoid talking about. It's something that affects all of us in some way, and it's time to change the narrative and shift the stigma surrounding it."
Wise has undergone three surgeries so far – to remove his left adrenal gland, thyroid, parathyroid and 65 lymph nodes – as well as a liver biopsy. More procedures will be needed, but that hasn't stopped Wise from remaining positive.
“Right now, the plan is to try to remove affected areas via surgery, then monitor and gauge if I need chemotherapy further down the line,” he says. “But for now, I’m doing OK, I’m living my life and aiming to make a difference.”
CancerBae continues to go from strength-to-strength, with close to 6,500 followers on TikTok and another 5,500 on Instagram, #CancerBAE.
This weekend action will further elevate the CancerBae cause, and getting talented young players together is sure to provide quite the pre-season spectacle.
"It'll be an event filled with fun, joy and laugher, and we'd love people to come along and support it and the players," said the former Philadelphia native, speaking to Colchester Gazette's Doug Wootton.
Tickets for the event are still available and can be purchased from the button below, whilst Wise's GoFundMe page to help CancerBae and its goals is also available below.
An interview with Wise and Cancer Research UK has been embedded above from February 2024, and the full article with Lynn Daly can be found here.
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Main image credit - Cancer Research UK
