SMW Athlete Bill Crews

The first time I heard of Bill Crews was during a phone conversation with Team in Training Coach, Coach Dwyer, from The Woodlands, Texas. He was looking for a convenient hotel near a race site for a dozen or so people that would be coming up to watch Crews compete in his first triathlon. I remember thinking, “Wow! This guy has a following.” I offered him a few “Good going, Coach” and “You must be proud of him” sentiments because it is always exciting to see a new person enter the sport. It was not until later that I realized what an amazing individual Bill is.

Bill is married to a beautiful wife and has 2 adorable kids. They look like a marketing advertisement for the ideal American family. When you look at Bill you can tell he is athletic. His competitive swimming background led him to the sport of triathlon. After experiencing severe pain in his shoulder while training, he made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon. An MRI revealed “bone marrow abnormalities” which were diagnosed as stage four non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. His bone marrow was almost completely replaced by cancer and multiple tumors were found throughout his body. A few doctor visits later found him as a cancer patient at MD Anderson Hospital.

He spent the next months going through a painful round of R-CHOP chemotherapy. His wife says he did so with no complaints. His hair was gone and he was still pale and weak from the treatments but his mind wondered back to triathlon when he was mailed an invitation from Team in Training to join their program. With his lymphoma in remission, this was just the motivation Bill needed to get his life back.

He was encouraged by his TNT teammates and met several key people along the way that helped him throughout this chapter of his life. In October of that year, he crossed the finish line at the Stonebridge Ranch Triathlon in McKinney, Texas. That day was a great victory for him personally and for the entire lymphoma community as once again, another young victim had survived and taken back his life.

Soon after, Bill’s wife, Dana-Susan, and their 2 children began competing in triathlons. As a family they found something in the sport and triathlon community that help bind them together. Although in remission, his fight was not over. He still had to undergo 2 years worth of treatments to keep the cancer in remission. Throughout those 2 years and still today he is continuing to fight his disease and race in marathons and triathlons. Bill Crews is currently training for Ironman Arizona in April. I am sure if you stop and listen you will hear a crowd somewhere in the hoards cheering for him all the way to the finish line.

You will never hear Bill complain about health issues. You would be hard pressed to find him without a smile on his face. He atrributes success to family, doctors and friends but it starts from within himself. He is a champion for lymphoma and blood related diseases. Bill Crews embodies the spirit of triathlon for never giving up and for fighting for research and funds to help others. For more information about Bill Crews and his story visit his family website at www.morgananddylan.com. Special thanks to Dana-Susan Crews for her input.