Ashok Rai

Ask Ashok if he he's a good dancer, and he'll flash that wry smile of his and say, "No, I wouldn't call myself good. But I have absolutely no fear of making a fool of myself."

Quick wit and good-natured self-deprecation are part of Ashok's personality, but the president and chief executive officer of Prevea Health in Green Bay is serious when it comes to humanity's ongoing fight against cancer.

"I saw too much of cancer as a young child, too much of it as a physician and now in my current position," says Ashok.

As a child growing up in Michigan, Ashok lost his right eye because of retinoblastoma, a rare form of cancer. It was a tough time for his family, which had immigrated to Michigan from India only a couple of years before Ashok was born in Ann Arbor.

"My cancer definitely inspired my career path," he says today. "It was rough on my parents, but I had a great outcome and have had a great life."

True to his fun-loving ways, Ashok has chosen to dance the Tango – with a "Bollywood" touch.

"Why? Because I'm Indian," he says, grinning. "I decided to have a little fun with this."

The first couple of practice sessions for his unique routine went well, until the next morning when he got out of bed.

"I couldn't walk for a week," he recalls with a big grin.

ASHOK IS SPONSORED BY PREVEA HEALTH AND HAS CHOSEN THE SHEBOYGAN COUNTY CANCER CARE FUND AS THE RECIPIENT OF 50 PERCENT OF THE PROCEEDS RAISED THROUGH THE PURCHASE OF EXTRA VOTES ON HIS BEHALF.

HE WILL PERFORM A BOLLYWOOD-THEMED TANGO ROUTINE WITH HIS DANCE PARTNER, ANGELA GILLITZER.