Greyson Brown is no ordinary 2 year old. He was born with a rare disease that has been considered most similar to Nemaline Myotpathy, which causes muscle weakness and other complications, and spent most of the first 18 months of his life at Primary Children’s Hospital fighting the disease.
This weekend, in an effort to raise money for Greyson and his family, the Racin’ for Greyson 5K will take place in Orem.
When Bryan Welton Jr., CEO and owner of a local company called Namifiers, learned about Greyson, the son of Joe Brown, the company’s director of graphics, he started to keep close tabs on the family and the situation.
[/media-credit]“Shortly after birth, it became very apparent that Greyson’s bout was a race against time to diagnose and determine the right, ongoing treatment to help him survive,” said Brad Gasaway, vice president of marketing at Namifiers. “For 18 months, the Browns made weekly trips to Primary Children’s Hospital.”
Because of the financial burden that has come with the treatments and procedures, Welton wanted to create an event where the whole company could help with Greyson’s fight for survival, Gasaway said. This desire resulted in the idea for Racin’ for Greyson.
“Understanding the weight such a challenge can put on any family, he proceeded to rally the Namifier’s ‘family’ to help put on a community event to celebrate and support the most worthy cause of all — life.”
The company and the community have rallied in support of Greyson and the 5K in his honor. More than 100 people have come forward to contribute through donations, volunteer work and registering for the race, Gasaway said.
“His story has touched a lot of people, and particularly their friends and associates here at work,” Gasaway said. “Namifiers is providing all the support and administration, and the proceeds go directly to the Greyson Foundation.”
[/media-credit]Companies, such as Runner’s Corner in Orem, have donated prizes for the race, said Eliza Wright, a marketing intern at Namifiers. Other groups have shown their support as well.
“There is a group of students at BYU who have been actively helping with the race,” Wright said. “They have sat in the Wilk to try and raise awareness and recruit participants.”
Joe Brown and his family are grateful for the support for Greyson and the family.
“My family and I are overwhelmed by the generosity and support from friends, family, co-workers, and even total strangers who have joined our cause,” Brown said.
The race will take place on Saturday at 8 a.m. at Foothill Elementary School in Orem. Participants can pre-register at namifiers.com/5KforGreyson or from 7 a.m. to 7:45. The cost is $25 per person and includes a T-shirt and grab bag with prizes from various donors.
All proceeds will go to the Greyson Foundation and continuing research on his rare disease.
