Greg was diagnosed with scleroderma in April 2017, after experiencing symptoms for three years. As he started to learn more about the disease, it struck him “how rare it was, and even how much rarer it was in men.”
Thus, with the encouragement of his wife, within one week of diagnosis, Greg dedicated himself to becoming a scleroderma advocate. “I tried to think of ways to bring the illness as close to center stage as possible.” He turned to his passions: exercise and fitness. Even though he had always been “more of a sprinter,” he took up the challenge of running marathons to raise awareness and money.
“I want to use my story and fitness as a means to inspire and motivate patients,” Greg says. This is why he’s looking to gift one fellow scleroderma patient with “a free gym membership or personal training so that they can use fitness as a means to improve their quality of life and the way in which the disease affects them.” (You can learn more about what he’s offering: Greg’s Facebook page or on Instagram, @gregory_cohen.)
Ultimately, Greg’s looking to research as the best hope for people with scleroderma, because “research is the primary mechanism that can be used to find a cure or treatments to improve the lives of many people.” Thank you, Greg, for using your time and talents to advocate for all those who live with scleroderma.
