At 34 years old, the Leukemia went into remission prior
to her stem cell bone marrow transplant at the University
of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Hospital Transplant
Center back on May 3, 2005.
At the time she would have been considered one of the
lucky blood cancer victims because the Oncology specialist
determined that she was a candidate to become her own
stem-cell bone marrow transplant donor due to her health
condition, lifestyle and medical history.
Since using your own stem cell transplant is not a cure
those who suffer with Leukemia and other blood related
diseases have death sentences that are depending on a
bone marrow transplant from a sibling and/or an unrelated
donor for survival.
February 7, 2006 when she relapsed...
After leading a normal and healthy adulthood, and embarking
on a promising career as an American Council on Exercise
(ACE) Certified Fitness Trainer, Nutrition Specialist,
and Contributing Health and Fitness Writer and functioning
as founder and president of the Las Vegas-based GKG
Fitness Company, training many affluent singles on
exercise and nutrition to achieve optimum health and
fitness, on her 33rd birthday, Greek was diagnosed
with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) in 2004.
In the Eyes of Courage …
For those who had the opportunity to look into the noble and determined eyes
of Greek Gray, they soon realized that cancer never had a more valiant opponent.
The courage, with which she faced her
daily skirmishes with the disease, was noted by many,
as the single most gallant and brave struggle against
Cancer that they have seen.
And even though the disease was eventually
victorious in the battle against her personal life, Greek
was determined to position herself for the Larger Win
and the Larger War, in the eradication of the scourge
of Leukemia Itself.
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Being that The American Cancer Society estimates that
over 35,000 people will be diagnosed with Leukemia in
2006 alone, Ms. Gray knew that she did not want to spend
her remaining energy in vain, aware that so many more
innocents were predicted to fall to this silent onslaught.
The disease Leukemia is no respecter to male, female,
child, race, or religion, it strikes who and where it
wants to at random. Unlike many other cancers, Leukemia
is still quite a mysterious one that has not been linked
to any recognizable lifestyle or 'health style'. So therefore
WE ARE ALL AT RISK …
And for this reason, Ms. Gray, an avid health enthusiast,
nutritionist, and even personal trainer, was determined
to 'sound the alarm' about the need of donors to the
National Bone Marrow Registry; especially to American
citizens of color. The registry is disproportionately
low for lists of donors of color, whose qualifying
genetic traits are a requisite for bone marrow transplants
to patients of color.
Greek Gray's valiant and energetic march against the
disease of Leukemia has solidified itself into an organization
called the Greek Gray Leukemia Foundation. The foundation
is zealous to promote awareness and action amongst the
populace that we may save thousands of husbands, wives,
mothers, fathers, babies, young children, young hopes,
and young dreams that do not have to fall to this disease.
Greek mandated that the foundation provides education,
counseling, volunteer support (in and out of the hospital),
online support groups and networking opportunities between
patients and potential marrow and financial donors.
From her hospital bed in 2004, Ms. Gray orchestrated
the launch of her foundation, thinking not of herself,
but of all the others on the other side of the trauma
she had traversed. And now from a place beyond our understanding,
she labors with renewed spirit to enlist new ambassadors
to work on her behalf to win a war that must be won...for
all of us. The scourge of cancer is unnatural. We must
battle it with all the vigor and intelligence that we
can muster.
Data Sources: American Cancer Society www.cancer.org
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society www.leukemia.org
National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) www.nmdp.org
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