Finance - tax rate increase6 now, was diagnosed with CMT type
2A last December.
A pistol who loves to play baseball
and run around outside, Boston has not
let CMT slow him down. He’s still play-
ing with his friends on an 8-and-under
tournament team coached by his dad.
He wears braces on his legs most of the
time when he’s pitching, catching, play-
ing first or third base, diving for balls and
sliding safely into home.
Fatigue and worn-out muscles are
more frequent now, and Boston often
sports what his grandmother calls “car-
toon knots” on his head and elbows.
None of that bothers Boston much.
Watching him endure pain, dealing with
doctors and knowing there is currently
no cure for CMT bothers the boy’s par-
ents and grandparents greatly.
“It’s a lot tougher on us than it is on
Boston,” his father Timmy Gray said last
week. “Boston doesn’t have a care in the
world. ... From sunup to sundown, it’s go,
go, go.”
“We had never heard of this disease,”
his mom Devon added. “A lot of people
I know have never heard of this disease.”
CMT is one of the most common in-
herited genetic diseases, affecting an
estimated 150,000 children and adults in
the United States and 2.8 million people
worldwide. It causes chronic pain and fa-
tigue.
When she heard about the doctor’s
original diagnosis late last year, Boston’s
grandmother couldn’t believe it.
“I was stunned,” Brenda Gray said.
“I knew something was wrong with my
grandson because he fell a lot. The arch
in his foot is also so high, but that little
rascal can snow ski as good as any adult
on two skis.”
Not one to sit idly by and watch her
grandson’s health deteriorate, Brenda
Gray came up with a plan. The boss of
Sam Houston State’s volleyball program
for 30-plus years, Gray wants to tell
people about this disease and also help
the folks at the Charcot-Marie-Tooth
Association by raising research money
to find a cure for CMT.
Mostly, though, the coach wants to
salute her little buddy Boston, who is
the spitting image of her son, a former
Huntsville Hornet and SHSU Bearkat
baseball standout.
“Boston’s a clone of Timmy. It’s un-
canny really,” Coach Gray said. “His
likes, dislikes, they’re all the same. He’s
also got a big, big heart.
“When I started thinking about this,”
Brenda added, “I thought everybody
does breast cancer awareness, every-
body does a Pink Out game. I want to do
something for Boston. Hopefully, we can
raise $10,000. That’s the dream, that’s
the goal. All of it will go to Boston’s
strain of CMT.”
On Sept. 15, the Bearkats volleyball
team will host a CMT Awareness Night
at Johnson Coliseum. The goal is to in-
crease awareness of CMT, to highlight
the stories of CMT patients and to raise
money to help fund the CMTA’s Strategy
to Accelerate Research (STAR) program,
which is committed to finding a cure for
CMT.
Friends of the family, volleyball fans
and anyone who wants to join the fight
can purchase STARs in advance of the
Bearkats’ match against longtime ri-
val Texas State. STARs are $10 each,
or three for $25. Corporate STARs are
available for $100.
In addition to the STARs, a portion
of the ticket sales will be donated to the
cause by the university. All of the pro-
ceeds from the CMT Awareness Night
will be given to the fight against CMT.
“There’s no cure for CMT now, so
that’s why we’re raising money to go in
for research,” Coach Gray said.
Brenda Gray sent letters to her
coaching colleagues in the Southland
Conference asking for their support. The
coach has heard from many of her former
players who knew Timmy when he was
about Boston’s age. They are pitching in
to help.
“We’ve gotten a lot of responses.
Stephen F. (Austin) was one of the first
teams on board,” Coach Gray said. “Texas
State wanted to be involved, (Bearkats
basketball) Coach (Jason) Hooten has
been great help. We’ve gotten so much
support from other teams — SFA, Texas
State, UTA and UTSA. We’ve been butt-
ing heads with those coaches for ump -
teen years, but all of them have respond-
ed and all of them have said they hope we
have a great night.”
Devon and Timmy are excited about
the response, not only from the college
volleyball community, but from their
church family, their school friends and
many people all over Huntsville and
Walker County.
“The people at Alpha Omega
Academy, University Heights Baptist
Church and Sam Houston, they’ve all
been great,” Devon said. “We’ve gotten
so much support, and we’re telling peo-
ple any little bit will help.”
For more information, or to donate,
go to http://www.cmtausa.org/event/
cmt-awareness-shsu-volleyball/. First
serve on Sept. 15 is set for 6:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2015 THE HUNTSVILLE ITEM 9A
FIGHT
Continued from page 1A