Gregory O’Brien Schwarz

Gregory O’Brien Schwarz
I was born in Mishawaka, Indiana at the end of August in 1952, and by Thanksgiving of that year, we lived in Greeley, Colorado. I had lost a brother to childhood Leukemia six months before I was born, and because of this family trauma, my parents wanted a new start, left the family, and moved. This event has been a defining factor for my entire life. Not a negative for me but a positive. I became my Father’s child, not my mother’s, though her plan for me was to be a Jesuit Priest in her Irish Catholic world. I had an older brother (10 years) and soon would have a younger sister (2 years). My father was an Architect professionally, but he had an adventurous wanderlust that I would inherit and thoroughly enjoy. These factors pretty much defined my life then, and still apply today.

I worked for over 50 years in the Outdoor Recreation Industry. Here it is in a nutshell. Factory grunt, fabric cutter, product designer (won an award for a sleeping bag), salesman, factory manager, product manager, industry board member, VP, company owner, retail rep, store manager. All of it. Add to it that I taught rock climbing, X-C skiing, mountaineering, snowshoeing, flat water kayaking, spent 7 years in a mountain rescue group, at 17 was a grunt for an outfitter on the Colorado River, almost died on the north face of the Grand Teton in January, and worked my way through college as an Archeologist for the National Park Service, University of Colorado, and the State of Colorado. Adventure was my life. I also coached soccer for 12 years, played for 10 years, and was a FIFA referee for 7.

In 2003 when my brother finally had a diagnosis and it was Hereditary Amyloidosis my world was shaken. A new adventure. We began the marathon of digging and learning all we could about this disease. He passed from it 4 years later. My quest continued and my symptoms became more apparent. It took another 7 years to finally get my diagnosis.

I have the T60/80A mutation and I have the disease. So does my sister, and so does my son. My passion has moved to focus on this disease, to follow treatment progress, to help others to cope.

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