Gregory Crawford
Dean Greg Crawford is an amazing individual. If you asked if he felt amazing about what he does for the Niemann-Pick Community, he'd possibly beg to differ because of his humble attitude. Over this summer, Greg has ventured on a coast to coast tour to help raise money for Niemann-Pick Type C for research.
A more official intro, Gregory P. Crawford is the dean of the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame. For the third consecutive year, he set out on a remarkable bicycle ride this past summer to support research seeking treatments and a cure for Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC). NPC is a rare and deadly neurodegenerative disease that primarily strikes children before or during adolescence.
A few weeks back, I had the pleasure of speaking with Greg more about his journey and to also share a little bit about our family. Greg felt a calling to get involved but wasn't for sure what he could contribute. Since he was good at biking, he choose that as a means to create awareness and fundraising to achieve a bigger goal.
Here was his rigorous schedule:
Date Arriving
5/21/2012 From Boston, MA to Sturbridge, MA (75 miles)
5/22/2012 Lakeville, CT (100 miles)
5/23/2012 Walton, NY (130 miles)
5/24/2012 Corning, NY (125 miles)
5/25/2012 Salamanca NY (105 miles)
5/26/2012 Meadville, PA (100 miles)
5/27/2012 Elyra, OH (100 miles)
5/28/2012 Bowling Green, OH/Montpelier, OH (100 miles)
5/29/2012 Granger, IN (95 miles)
5/30/2012 Matteson, IL (100 miles)
5/31/2012 Mendota, IL (100 miles)
6/1/2012 Davenport, IA (85 miles)
6/2/2012 Oscaloosa, IA (125 miles)
6/3/2012 Creston, IA (110 miles)
6/4/2012 Bellevue, NE (96 miles)
6/5/2012 York, NE (110 miles)
6/6/2012 Holdredge, NE (120 miles)
6/7/2012 McCook, NE (80 miles)
6/8/2012 Yuma, CO (100 miles)
6/9/2012 Byers, CO/Denver,CO (100 miles)
6/10/2012 Denver, CO – ND Club Tour
6/11/2012 Granby, CO (95 miles)
6/12/2012 Craig, CO (120 miles)
6/13/2012 Rangely, CO (90 miles)
6/14/2012 Altamont, UT (95 miles)
6/15/2012 Park City, UT (90 miles)
6/16/2012 Wendover, NV (160 miles)
6/17/2012 Ely, NV (120 miles)
6/18/2012 Fallon, NV (100 miles)
6/19/2012 South Lake Tahoe, NV (100 miles)
6/20/2012 Elk Grove, CA (100 miles)
6/21/2012 Livermore, CA (100 miles)
6/22/2012 Monterey/Pebble Beach CA (100 miles)
More importantly than Greg's cross country journey to help give back to help fight Niemann-Pick, is Greg's compassion for the situation and the time he took with multiple families. Greg stated he found these three things in common:
- Passion for their kids
- Not Angry about the situation and having lots of faith
- Can never pretend you know what it really is like to have a rare disease like NPC if you're not in that parents shoes.
Here is a picture of some of the inspirational wristbands Greg wears to remind him of what he and others are fighting for. Thank you Greg for taking time to speak with us!
