We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Allison Peck. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Allison below.
Allison, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
At the age of twelve, I almost lost my family when we were hit by a semi driven by a drunk driver driving to my state championship swim meet. My mother had driven our family station wagon three hours to Atlanta, Georgia, on a Thursday evening so that my brother, sister, and I would be ready for our events the next morning. My father had planned to meet us on Friday evening after work. Unfortunately, we never made it to the swim meet. Instead, we spent the week in the ER and intensive care units. I woke up two days after the accident with 50 stiches around my left eye and forehead. I discovered that my brother had fractured his spine and was bleeding internally, my sister came away with just cuts and bruises, but my mother suffered the bulk of injuries with a massive head injury, torn liver, broken pelvis, and fractured skull. The doctors did not give my mother a high likelihood of recovery. These were the days before seat belt laws and airbags. My mother had hit her head on the steering wheel and in addition to broken bones and vision problems, she suffered from severe brain damage. She was still in a coma when my siblings and I went home, I remember seeing my mother for the first time several weeks after the accident and she did not remember who I was. It took many hours of therapy, surgery and hard work to recover. My father spent many hours driving back and forth to Atlanta, balancing family needs and work. I started junior high with a bandage on my forehead and had three reconstructive surgeries throughout the year. Resilience was all around us. Our extended family and church family stepped it with love and support with meals, rides to school, and childcare. Seeing the strength of my community and the determination of my mother to fight back for her family has taught me the power of love and resilience. I had this faith throughout the whole experience that my mother would recover. I learned that relationships were the reason for living. Maybe it was just me being naive, but I knew that as long as we took one step at a time and paused to appreciate the blessings that my family would be OK. Receiving and giving love have been my source of resilience to this day.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My husband and I started a rare disease organization, Cure VCP Disease, six years ago to help find a cure for the devastating disease that has plagued his family for generations, VCP disease. After his mother was diagnosed thirty years ago, we were told that no one knew about VCP disease so there was nothing we could do. After my husband was diagnosed with the same disease ten years ago, we were told a similar message … “It is too rare. It is too complicated. Just go live your life.” This progressive disease robs most people of their ability to walk and care for themselves in mid-adulthood. Some might develop cognitive issues or a painful bone disease. Not taking action was not an option for us….. Nathan and I have never been ones to accept defeat or be afraid of a challenge. Even though we did not know how we were going to get there, we started Cure VCP Disease with the vision of bringing treatments to patients and improving the lives of all affected by this disease.
Over the past six years, we have built a team of patients, families, researchers and clinicians dedicated to our mission. We are making great progress through funding a natural history study, building shared research tools, and launching a drug discovery program. All of our efforts cumulated in February of this year when we hosted our first in-person international scientific meeting with close to 100 in attendance. The energy and collaboration at the meeting was astounding. Some of the best aspects were young scientists learning from veterans in the field, challenging discussions about best approaches, and the many scientists surprised that a patient group could host such a transformative scientific conference. Most importantly, the patient voice was needed and appreciated in the discussions. At one point during the conference, I sat back, watching the many conversations between patients and doctors transpire over dinner. Nathan and I had been cultivating these relationships for six years, and seeing these collaborations and relationships form was so validating.
We are very excited about the launch of our awareness campaign the “I CAN MOVEment” from June 23-29. It is about finding a personal challenge and focusing on what you can do, not what you can’t do. It’s about raising awareness and funds so that patients can get diagnosed and people can get involved. It’s about turning your “I CAN’T” into “I CAN!”
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. For me, it is about seeing a challenge as a problem to be solved. The solution is not always going in through the front door … sometimes you have to go through the window. 2. It’s also about having determination and staying the course through adversity.
3. Most importantly, it is about building a community. There is power in community.
If you are early in your journey, look around for like-minded people. They will be your source of strength. Also, talk to everyone. Their point of view will help you learn to navigate your path.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
Not trying to do everything myself. I always put too much on myself and put my needs last. I have had to be intentional in delegating, teaching others, and allowing people (especially my children) to learn from their mistakes.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.curevcp.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allison.peck
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/allison-peck-vcp
