Listen Live
KMJQ Featured Video
CLOSE

Last night on TV One’s “Unsung,” fans of hip hop/R&B group Full Force learned that Paul Anthony George is battling lymphoma.  Paul is the most herculean member of the buffed band of brothers and cousins who recorded hits like “Alice Be My Girl,” “Please Stay” and “Let’s Dance Against The World.”  They also had memorable roles in the movies House Party, House 2 and Krush Groove, among others.

Paul Anthony explains how he found out:

“I was in the gym training and my training partner saw a small lump. He said, you need to go and get that checked out.  I didn’t feel nothing, but with that type you don’t feel anything.   I went and had a FNA (a fine needle aspiration) where they inject and pull the fluid out, and the diagnosis was that it seemed to be consistent with mantle cell lymphoma.”

The biopsy was conclusive and to date the disease is incurable.

Out of this experience has grown a family quest for the right plan of attack, which included canvassing cancer treatment centers and interviewing world renowned physicians. Making the right choice for Paul Anthony came easy, because it all boiled down to a name. Somewhere out there was a Dr. Paul Anthony Hamlin and when the two Paul Anthony’s met, the irony served as a confirmation. Full Force’s Paul Anthony comments on the coincidence:

“He said, I’ve never met another Paul Anthony and the doctor said, neither have I.  So I said, ‘All my life, I’ve bet on Paul Anthony, so I’m going to bet on Paul Anthony.’”

Six months of intense chemotherapy followed for an undaunted Paul, who maintained his fitness regimen despite the treatments. Anthony stresses that most diseases are individual, therefore implementing healthy lifestyle choices, mental focus and spirituality are what is most important in combating illness and maintaining health. Paul Anthony is currently in remission although, his brother Bow Legged Lou is a direct match for him should there be a need for a blood donor. The success rate for such an operation is now 98-99%.

True to the Full Force persona that we know, Paul Anthony is living life and not missing a beat.  He also never paused to wonder why this diagnosis has come upon him.

“I never asked myself ‘why me’?  I was too preoccupied with ‘let’s dance, let’s do this’. The only thought is let me take care of this, let me dance with this, let me get control of this because I’ve got things to do!”

Paul Anthony decided to go public with his fight so that it might encourage others, especially those who are entertainers, to be vocal about their predicament in the hope that they can help and inspire others. Be on the lookout for concerts, fundraisers and various events as part of the Paul Anthony Foundation and its mission to find a cure for lymphoma and other diseases.