NorCal SCI founding Board Member Carl McGrew, a great loss to the SCI Community.
Founding Board Member Carl McGrew passed away in Hospital on Monday May 16th, just 13 days after the passing of NorCal SCI co-founder Franklin. Carl had major surgery in early April yet continued health complications meant that this time, a recovery was not to be.
The NorCal SCI board are devastated with this news and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones.
In 2012, Carl was 55 when an operation to remove a blood clot on his spinal cord left him with a T8 complete SCI. He went through his rehab at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and returned to work as a supervisor at Pretrial Services before retiring at the end of 2016. Carl joined the SCI Peer Support Team at SCVMC in 2014 where he became friends with Franklin and Nick.
Carl loved to come back to the meetings to share his own experience in solving problems with the patients. He continued to learn from both the peers and the patients in finding answers to the challenges he faced in his continued recovery.
Carl was ever present at Peer Support, never wanted to talk about himself and was always more interested in the patients and their family members who were going through a life altering injury. Speaking candidly about his own challenges, his deep resonating voice offered both comfort and support to the many individuals he spoke with. When Nick and Franklin invited Carl to be part of the organization, Carl jumped at the chance. He joined the co-founders at all the major events in Northern California, happy to be out of the limelight yet always there. He was the true gentleman of our organization.
Carl, with Nick and Franklin at the Abilities Expo
From the Inspire Fundraising Events, Mobile Clinics, Sporting Outreach events and Expos up and down the entire length of Northern California, Carl was always there supporting the SCI community.
Carl was all about giving everyone an opportunity to be heard and his role as NorCal SCI’s advocate was a good match for his passion and skill. In 2018 and 2019, he made the long trip to Washington DC to represent NorCal SCI as the Silicon Valley Chapter of the United Spinal Association.
Carl meeting staffers at the Senate in Washington DC at Roll on Capitol Hill in June of 2019
Despite the challenges, Carl loved to travel, taking many road trips for pleasure or to represent NorCal SCI. He famously arrived at our Inspire 2019 fundraising event, just off the plane from Las Vegas where he was representing NorCal SCI at the United Spinal Leadership Conference.
As NorCal SCI continue their mission to support the SCI Community in Northern California, the board is committed to carry on Carl’s work which we believe is what he would have wished us to do.
Your humility and community spirit will remain with us, Carl McGrew a true friend and gentleman.