My grandpa—who is one of the most steadfast, honest, and true people I’ve ever met in my life—told me this:
“The world isn’t made for ordinary people anymore.”
Being a respectful granddaughter, I’m not the sort who contradicts my grandpa willy-nilly, and I definitely don’t argue when his words seem so right.
It feels like the world is made for and by extraordinary people, with the rest of us just running down the paths they paved.
For example, there’s John Crowley.
John Crowley: father and husband grew up in New Jersey.
Normal stuff until you realize that John Crowley changed the medical industry just to cure his two children of Pompe Disease.
His incredible biotech career included top dog positions at several major companies, eventually leading him to Genzyme Corporation. While there, he oversaw the R&D efforts for an experimental enzyme replace therapy to treat Pompe Disease.
Those efforts, Crowley says, are what saved his own children and opened the door for current Pompe treatments.
I mean, come on, that’s pretty extraordinary. There’s both a book and a movie about these accomplishments. Harrison Ford executive produced his life story!!
Who could compete with that?
Well, truth be told, I think my grandpa. At 91-years-old, he still cares for my grandmother through her Alzheimer’s–and he snow blows the yard.
I don’t know about you, but I find that extraordinary.
When you care for someone with a chronic condition, or you have a chronic condition yourself, it’s easy to constantly be wondering: Can I do more? And I want to tell you—you each do enough. All the moms and dads on Patient Worthy act extraordinarily every day for your children and your loved ones.
So my grandpa’s right—this isn’t a world for ordinary people anymore. But luckily, none of us are ordinary.
