Brittnee Edmonds

by Brittnee Edmonds

The Erin Tierney Kramp Encouragement Foundation and the Dallas County Community College District presented Richland College student Landon Gregory with the 2010 Erin Tierney Kramp Encouragement Award on June 17.

The scholarship will pay for Gregory’s books and tuition for up to four semesters of his college career.

“The Erin Tierney Kramp program awards scholarships to students based on their courage and perseverance in the face of adversity,” said Michael Brown, president of the Erin Tierney Kramp Foundation.

According to friends and family, Gregory, 20, has displayed these traits in many ways since a young age.

When he was three years old, Gregory’s parents, Mark and Angel Gregory, were given the devastating news that their young son had leukemia, a cancer of the blood or bone marrow. He was about to face what could be the toughest battle of his life.

When the family received the news, Angel Gregory, a school teacher, had just begun a new school year. Doctors told her that she would have to choose between quitting her job to take him to the hospital for his treatments, or find a family member that would be willing to.

“The doctors stressed to me the importance of it being the same person each treatment so Landon could take refuge and depend on that person to get him through the chemo each time,” said Angel Gregory.

As most concerned mothers would do, she immediately quit her job, cutting the family’s income in half.

Soon, Angel and Landon Gregory began the two-hour drives from their Tyler, Texas home to Children’s Medical Center Dallas for frequent treatments, including medicine, surgery, and chemotherapy.

Landon Gregory, at age three, plays with other hospital patients. PHOTO CREDIT: Angel Gregory

“Some treatments turned into overnight stays, and sometimes weekly stays. We never knew what was in store for us until we got there,” Angel Gregory explained. “During all of these changes our family dynamics changed.”

Mark Gregory had to stay back in Tyler to work so the family could continue to have health insurance. Mark and Angel Gregory’s daughter, Lauren, who is 13 months older than Landon, had to often stay with family members during these times.

“We could not attend things or have other kids over to play because of my immune system being low,” said Landon Gregory. “My bones became very brittle, and I was so small that I was literally watching cartoons one day and I heard a pop, and both my legs had fractured [after a short time of undergoing] the chemo.”

A young Landon Gregory is pushed around in a wheel chair after one of his legs fractured. He says his bones became very brittle after chemotherapy. PHOTO CREDIT: Angel Gregory

Even through the tough times, however, his family kept an upbeat attitude.

Landon Gregory laughed as he recalled, “[I had a leg fracture] twice, so I was in a cast on one leg that was green; it was my Ninja Turtle foot. The other leg was in a black boot, so it was my Batman leg.”

Landon Gregory’s treatment lasted 6 years.

“I tell people sometimes this is the best thing that could have ever happened to our family,” Angel Gregory said. “It made us stop and reflect on what we were missing, it gave us all a chance to rededicate our lives to one another, and to stop taking this [life] and people for granted. It helped develop for Landon such a kind heart.”

Mark and Angel Gregory strongly believe in their children receiving a good education.

When asked where he gets the motivation to keep pursuing an education, Landon Gregory said, “My motivation mainly comes from my family. There is no giving up on anyone or anything in our family. We try and give it our all and trust in God. As I matured and understood the relationship between having an education and [achieving] my future goals, I knew that obtaining a degree would be my first step.”

The Spring 2010 Richland College Wall of Honor student plans to earn a Bachelor degree in kinesiology from the University of Texas at Arlington. He will then attend fire school and become a fireman.

“I chose to become a fireman for many reasons: to help others, to be a healthy example to others, [and] to make a difference,” Landon Gregory stated. “One main reason is because I wanted a job that would allow me time off to be able to volunteer in my community.”

In high school, Landon Gregory earned the Bronze Presidential Star Award for volunteering over 300 hours of his time to community service.

His latest accomplishment, however, was receiving the Erin Tierney Kramp Encouragement Award.

The Erin Tierney Kramp Encouragement Foundation is run in memory of Erin Tierney Kramp, a woman who fought breast cancer from 1994 to 1998. Kramp co-authored “Living With the End in Mind: A Practical Checklist for Living Life to the Fullest by Embracing Your Mortality.”

“It is such an honor to be chosen for this. Mrs. Kramp was such a hero,” said Landon Gregory. “To think someone thought I deserved this is just an honor and humbling at the same time.”

Landon Gregory says that he wants to set an example for those that are facing tough obstacles in their lives.

“Continue your education because that is what is going to allow you to have doors opened for you along the way,” Landon Gregory said. “Always remember that, when a door does shut, a window opens. Education is something that can never be taken away from you, and it allows you the chance to turn around and help someone else with what you have learned.”

Landon Gregory, grown up and cancer-free. PHOTO CREDIT: Angel Gregory