Family raising money in honor of Chris Bradley
On the same day that Jason Bradleykrauss filled out paperwork to start hospice care for his husband, Chris Bradley – Nov. 28, 2018 – the two learned that a drug for which Bradley had participated in a clinical trial had been approved.
It was an emotional moment. Bradley, the longtime Columbus meteorologist, was dying of the exact form of acute myeloid leukemia that the drug, gilteritinib, was designed to treat.
Because he had been in a controlled trial, Bradley had to stay within strict protocols. But had gilteritinib been approved earlier, Bradley potentially could have taken it in combination with other drugs and beaten his disease into remission.
“We just looked at each other,” Bradley-krauss
said. “It was not a medication that ultimately saved Chris’ life, but to know that it’s going to save the lives of many others, that’s very inspiring.”
Bradley died one week later at age 53.
But their experience with clinical trials is the reason that Bradley-krauss now is trying to raise $100,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
He was asked by someone at the society, he said, to participate in its Man & Woman of the Year campaign, a 10-week effort to raise money that will all go to fund clinical trials.
“I was very excited to say yes,” Bradley-krauss said, “because of the incredible work the society is doing, and because if Chris were alive today, without a doubt he would be doing everything he could to support the organization. We both believed something good could come of his illness.”
Bradley, originally from Indiana, spent 20 years on the air in Columbus, starting in 1998 with WSYX-TV (Channel 6) and then moving in 2006 to WBNS-TV (Channel 10).
He and Bradley-krauss were together for 23 years and married in 2014. The Worthington residents years ago adopted two children, Spencer, now 16 and a junior at Thomas Worthington High School, and Maria, 13, an eighth grader at Kilbourne Middle School.
Bradley-krauss said dealing with Bradley’s death has been a long journey.
“We’ve done a lot of hard work,” he said. “Grief is excruciating. It isn’t something you fully understand until it’s your time to sit in the front row of a funeral service.”
Maria said when the loss was still fresh, she found herself sometimes forgetting and setting four places at the table.
Spencer said he at first “bottled up” his emotions.
“My dad Chris told me I had to be strong for my dad Jason and Maria,” Spencer said. “So I put on a strong face for a while, a few months, until all the emotions came out suddenly.”
Bradley-krauss said individual and group grief counseling has helped the family a lot.
They now seem to be thriving. Bradley-krauss said both kids have “all-a’s” on their report cards. Maria plays lacrosse and Spencer plays football.
It seemed to be the right time to dive into fundraising, Bradley-krauss said.
The Man & Woman of the Year campaign started nationally in 1990 and has raised more than $410 million, according to Andrea Grzybowski, campaign manager for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Ohio River Valley Region.
This is the 12th year for the contest locally. Bradley-krauss is one of two men nominated, and there are seven women competing. Every dollar raised is a vote, so the man and woman with the most money raised win the regional award and will be entered into the national contest.
The whole family is involved in raising money, mainly by social media and word of mouth. The contest began April 1 and runs through June 11.
“It’s important that we all help,” Maria said, “because we all went through it together.”
Spencer said he understands the impact that $100,000 could have on research.
“It’s really awesome to think about,” he said. “Looking at the bigger picture, it’s bigger than the three of us, it’s for anyone affected by leukemia or these cancers.”
And for every $50,000 one raises, the nominee is allowed to name a grant for a clinical trial after someone. That’s the reason Bradley-krauss chose $100,000 as his goal: He hopes to name one after Spencer and one after Maria.
The thought of doing that, he said, brought tears to his eyes.
“I think that would be a very, very powerful moment,” Bradley-krauss said, his voice filled with emotion. “Just to understand that Chris’ legacy and his love for his fellow man continues to bring something positive to the world.”
Donations can be made at https:// pages.lls.org/mwoy/coh/columbus21/ jbradleykr or here: https://columbus foundation.org/the-giving-store/ fund-directory-listing/chrisbradleymemorialfund/3730/ kgordon@dispatch.com @kgdispatch