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

BrittneeNewsletter

BrittneeEdmondsTour

Abuse Brochure

The target audience for this brochure appears to be abused women, based on the photo of a sad woman on the cover.  However, after reading through the brochure, I realized it is meant to be for abused people of either gender.  A photo of a man and woman probably would be more appropriate.  I think the proximity throughout the brochure was done well.  It was easy to read and the reader can quickly find the information they need.  The alignment was mostly left or center alignment, but it was organized well enough that it didn’t leave the reader bored.  The repetition in the piece was shades of green and purple, and boxes with information inside.  Contrast in the piece was the color difference in the green and purple.  The colors are very different, making the piece easy to read.  Some areas of the brochure are a little cluttered, and I believe it could use a little more white space.

Buddy System Newsletter

The neatness and organization are pleasing to the eye, but there is nothing very unique about this newsletter.  Proximity is used very well.  There is plenty of space between groups of similar information, or the information is separated by using rounded boxes.  Alignment is mostly centered, which is a “no-no” according to Robin Williams.  Some of the text is bigger than it needs to be.  The newsletter would probably be more interesting if there was more white space and better alignment.  The repetition is similar fonts and the black, green, and white font colors.  Contrast is obvious with the black, green, and white color scheme.

“Healthy Starts Here: Chocolate” Brochure

I first picked up this brochure because I noticed the chocolate chips graphic on the front page.  It is obvious that they are targeting chocolate-lovers. There was proximity throughout the brochure, but I think it could have been used better.  The different groups of information were simply separated by a bold, white title.  I think they should be separated more drastically.  The alignment was very basic and boring on the inside of the brochure.  Every thing was left-aligned, except the cover, which was centered.  “The Non-Designer Designer’s Design Book” author, Robin Williams, does not recommend using center alignment.  The repetition used throughout the brochure is a gross color of brown and the same white titles.  The piece is way too repetitive.  The contrast used is brown on white.  The entire brochure is boring and too repetitive.  It needs more colors and graphics to keep the reader’s attention.

The Bridge Newsletter

This particular newsletter is advertising an upcoming event.  The one that I picked up happened to be a black and white copy, which will already lose interest of most of the audience.  The proximity is used very well.  Information is separated and easy to find.  Alignment is also nicely used by using left alignment with the exception of the right-aligned times.  Using the same fonts throughout the piece shows repetition.  Contrast is hard to see with the black and white piece, so the most evident contrast is black on white, but I believe the original copy uses color.  One thing that bothers me with this piece is the fact that there is one column that has only two lines on the top because the text didn’t fit on the previous column.