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The American Cancer Society recognizes Gay Crawford's 25 years of service
Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Positive Spin
Gay Crawford turned her breast cancer diagnosis into a passion for helping others--and finding a cure
By Kara Chalmers
The Crawford household in Saratoga is uncluttered and neat as a pin. However, the desk drawers of Gay Crawford, 25-year volunteer for the American Cancer Society, are another story. City Council minutes from the 1980s top a pile of papers in one of many binders that is bursting its seams. Crawford has kept any photo, document and thing that reminds her of the long, fulfilling relationship she has had with the ACS. The drawers' contents chronicle of her life since November 1974, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and became an ACS volunteer.
"They're part of history," she said of the binders and pamphlets. "I just have to touch them, and it brings me back to the beginning days. Most of the binders I probably won't ever need. I'm probably a little sentimental that way."
The society, a national organization with state and local divisions, stresses cancer education, research and advocacy. Although doctors have told Crawford her bout with cancer is over, she remains actively involved with the ACS. She recently received a statewide award given to one of 140,000 volunteers in California each year.
The ACS Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award, which now sits among all the other commendations, distinguished citizen awards and volunteer of the year awards in Crawford's home, has never been given to a local volunteer before, said Shelly Huff, communications director for ACS, Silicon Valley region. Huff nominated Crawford for the award.
"Gay is exemplary," she said. "Her 25-year history with the ACS has been unparalleled. She's made a difference locally, statewide and nationwide, particularly in the area of breast cancer."
Crawford was vocal about her cancer at a time when many women were not. Twenty-five years ago, she said, breast cancer was not discussed.
"It was very hushed," she said. "I was public about it. In 1974, cancer in general was not a subject people discussed. I see the importance of publicly advocating for early detection."
Leigh Weimers, a San Jose Mercury News columnist, recently mentioned Crawford in a column disclosing that he has prostate cancer. He credited Crawford with having the bravery to talk about her breast cancer and thus help others deal with theirs.
Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Gay Crawford gets a big kiss from her 24-pound cat, Big Guy.
Crawford credits Betty Ford and Happy Rockefeller as helping her find out she had cancer. "They were public figures who talked about breast cancer, and because they did, a lot of us had mammograms or did breast self-exams and discovered our own," she said. "I'm probably alive today because those women were public about it."
Many people have called Crawford over the years, thanking her for inspiring them to get checked out, she said. What is most inspirational about Crawford is that from the day she was diagnosed, she has been giving to other cancer patients through volunteering for the ACS.
The society runs a one-on-one visiting program for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, called Reach to Recovery, in which breast cancer survivors visit them in the hospital or in their home. When Crawford was first diagnosed, her evaluation of the Reach to Recovery's brochure was less than stellar. She received a call from the ACS, asking her to help them create a new booklet. That was when her career as an ACS volunteer began.
Crawford, a 30-year-old cancer patient with two young children, soon became involved in visiting other patients. Because there was a shortage of young volunteers and she wanted to help, the ACS allowed Crawford to visit other patients before waiting a year after treatment, the standard prerequisite for the program.
About a year later, Crawford worked to turn Reach to Recovery into a hospital-based program that included all hospitals in Santa Clara County from a program that had been used sporadically. Since then, Crawford said she has probably visited and talked to thousands of cancer patients.
Crawford also was a founding member of the Hospice of the Valley, which recently celebrated its 20th birthday. The Hospice, a nonprofit organization, cares for terminally ill adults and children, regardless of their ability to pay. Hospice founder Jennie Magid went to Crawford for help launching the idea, which was a very new one in 1979.
"She puts her whole heart and soul into everything she believes in," Magid said of Crawford. "And she gets many other people involved in what she believes in."
Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Longtime Saratogan Gay Crawford keeps her American Cancer Society Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award in her home office.
Magid and others who know Crawford said Crawford is an outgoing and friendly person who has a way with people and is one of the best recruiters for ACS. "She's one of the finest people I know," Magid said. "It's rare in this lifetime to meet such a dedicated, humane and compassionate person."
What makes Crawford stand out among volunteers is her ability to imagine and create programs and then get them off the ground. "The lady has vision," Huff said. "And she makes her vision happen to the benefit of cancer patients. It is volunteers like Gay Crawford that have helped ACS gain recognition and accomplish the things it has."
Huff describes Crawford as passionate but effective in translanting her passion and creativity into constructive projects to help others.
Crawford credits the ACS for letting her do what she loves to do. "A volunteer comes up with an idea and it becomes a program, and that's been a hallmark of the ACS," she said. "There is a very strong volunteer staff partnership. That's one of the things I love about the agency. What's given me the greatest joy is putting the right building blocks in place to make a program happen to help cancer patients."
For example, because of Crawford's efforts, cancer is a reportable disease in California. When she was president of the Santa Clara County unit of the ACS in 1983-84, she pushed the California Department of Health to make cancer a reportable disease. She lobbied for Assembly Bill 136, which took effect in 1988 and required that every cancer diagnosed in a clinic or hospital in California be reported. That data is compiled annually by the ACS into a booklet of statistics on cancer called, "California Cancer Facts and Figures."
When a good friend's child died of leukemia at age 6, Crawford realized she wanted to do something for young cancer victims and their families. During the ACS's "Courageous Kids Day," which is also Mother's Day, any child currently in treatment in Northern California can be admitted free to Paramount's Great America in Santa Clara for a "day off from cancer." Moms get corsages and children get gift bags that usually contain an inspirational story about cancer. Each family is photographed together.
The program, in its 11th year, is as much for the child's parents and siblings as it is for the child. Last year, 10-year child survivors and Crawford were honored in "a celebration of life."
"I have never seen anything so devastating as what happens to a family when a child is diagnosed with cancer," Crawford said. "My own experience pales in comparison."
Photograph courtesy of Gay Crawford
Gay Crawford prepares for a talk on breast cancer in 1998.
Lately, Crawford has become more interested in clinical trials. According to her, "that's where the answer to cancer is going to come from." Although she serves on the California board of the ACS, and has since 1990, Crawford was recently named chair of the board of the Santa Clara County unit of ACS, of which she is already an honorary life member.
President of the county board, medical oncologist George Fisher, said he appointed her to help him get people more involved with clinical trials, something he said he sees a tremendous need for.
"We're interested in having the Santa Clara Valley Unit lead the ACS in exploring new treatments by highlighting clinical trials, and Crawford was particularly excited by this," he said. "She's joining us as a leader."
Crawford has also just been asked to serve on the national ACS research committee. For the first time, the ACS is inviting laypeople to help decide where some of the ACS's research dollars go. As a member of the board of the Health Trust, set up from the sale of Good Samaritan Hospital, Crawford already helps give grants to the community for health needs.
"I think being involved in the cancer picture statewide and knowing the nonprofit community here well, I'm good at seeing where some of the needs are and where funds can make a difference."
Crawford said that when she was first involved with the American Cancer Society, she was most interested in serving cancer patients, especially the transporting and visiting programs.
"As I got more involved, I realized the importance of education because without it, you are not going to get early detection, and you're not going to get people to quit smoking or stay out of the sun," she said. "Then when you look at the bigger picture, the research dollars are so critical.
"I've been able to work for an agency that does all of that, I can move from one to the other," she said. "[ACS] has just given me a terrific opportunity to not only use my skills and feel appreciated but to build new skills."
Photograph courtesy of Gay Crawford
Gay Crawford pauses during Courageous Kids Day 1998 with Ronnie Lott and Vanessa Gonzalez, who has since passed away.
Outside of her volunteer efforts with ACS, Crawford writes a monthly health column for The Valley Scene, a monthly publication, and she just recently left the KTEH board after more than 12 years of service. Always part of a "newspaper family," Crawford's father owned the Brazoria County Gazette in Texas. Crawford herself edited her high school and college newspapers and worked for The Berkeley Daily Gazette, the Oakland Tribune and San Diego Magazine.
From a career in newspaper journalism, Crawford moved on to San Jose's KNTV for six years, overseeing public affairs programming and providing community outreach. She also worked in public relations for PG&E and United Way. Today, she is a media consultant for clients including Child Advocates and Villa Montalvo, and she does "media training" for the community organizations and businesses.
Through everything, Crawford's family has been there. Her daughter, Casey, is working toward a Ph.D. in neuroscience and studies Alzheimer's disease for UC-San Francisco. Crawford's son, David, works at Disneyland as a mechanical engineer. Her husband, Roy, consults for Delfin Industries in Santa Clara.
"One of the most incredible gifts I have is my husband," Crawford said. "You can't spend as much time in the community as I do without the full support of your family. They really have let me be me."
Crawford still visits breast cancer patients unofficially, about once a week, and talks to them on the phone. She tries to help them formulate questions for their doctors, takes them to Stanford for their tumor registry and helps them understand what doctors are telling them.
"Everyone faces issues like cancer in the best way they know how," Crawford said. "Mine was to get involved and be a volunteer. It helped me understand my own recovery better."
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
