PRINCETON — The greater community continues to rally around David Crowley and his family following the Wachusett Mountain co-owner’s diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy three years ago.
Several hundred people gathered at the popular ski resort on a Sunday last month for the Ski with David for PSP event, a
fundraiser in honor of David to benefit Massachusetts General Hospital, where the 67-year-old receives medical care for the rare, degenerative, physically debilitating neurological disease that affects all aspects of daily function.
To date, the Crowley family has raised (because.massgeneral. org/campaign/ski-with-david-forpsp/ c454769) more than $110,000 for the MGH FrontotemporalDisorders Unit to help fund the science and continued research and, hopefully one day, find a cure.
“MGH was overwhelmed by the outpouring and support, as we were awestruck and deeply grateful to everyone who came out and supported this cause for David,” relayed Julie Crowley, his wife of 40 years, of the February event. “The most important thing about all of this is to raise awareness. If we can help one person, or offer support, then we hope to start a ripple that could become a wave to cure FTD/PSP.”
David was diagnosed with FTD/PSP in 2020 but most likely had it for several years before.
“It is very difficult to diagnose and (is) often misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s or ALS,” Julie said.
PSP primarily affects movement, balance, vision, speech and information processing, and it impairs reasoning. While currently there is no cure for it and no specific treatment, David is under the care of the MGH FDU under neurologist Dr. Brad Dickerson, who heads up the unit. David continues to do physical and occupational therapy to battle the effects of the disorder.
Julie said that after speaking with their four adult children — David, Lisbet, Trudy, and Nate — the family decided to do the Feb. 12 ski race fundraiser for all ages. The event was attended by the Crowley brood, including their grandchildren, along with many friends, members of the public, and “MGH folks” such as Dr. Dickerson.
“We needed to do something proactive and positive while David can participate, and he too wanted people to know that this is out there,” she said. “We had several hundred people join us to ski with David.”
Julie said it’s important to their family to spread the word about what David is going through “to raise awareness and help educate people about this atypical dementia.”
“We never heard of it until we found the right doctors at MGH; it took several years,” she said of their challenging journey. “I felt compelled to do something about it. How devastating and sad this disorder is. It robs your loved one of everyday functions and ability. David led an active life, working full time in the ski business and being a leader for that industry.”
While nowadays getting down the mountain looks different for David, he is still able to enjoy skiing with the help of the people around him.
“For David, skiing is a lifelong passion he shared with his parents and siblings and then with me and our children,” Julie said. “As one of the owner operators of the ski area, David, despite not being able to walk without assistance, is still able to do what he loves skiing with the Wachusett Adaptive Program.”
She said her husband is “not one to say I can’t do that” and is happy to be able to ski down the mountain he has known all his life.
“This brings immense joy to us all.”
