By JARROD POTTER
SPREADING the message about a disease which greatly affected his life was Bill Crawford’s last wish.
Lifelong Dandenong-area cricketer Crawford, 60, who lived in Cranbourne, passed away on Friday after battling liver cancer triggered by an underlying disease he didn’t know he had until later in life.
The robust right-arm paceman, who played for a long list of Dandenong area cricket clubs including Parkfield, Lyndale, Parkmore and Dandenong West, found out about his disease after he had two strokes 10 years ago.
The doctors’ diagnosis was hereditary haemochromatosis – or iron overload – which as the nickname suggests is a condition where the body accumulates too much iron.
For Bill the excessive iron caused the most havoc in his liver where it eventually created cancerous tumours, which he wanted the community to know would not have happened if it was found earlier in his life.
“We want people to know about this haemochromatosis as the disease is out there – people should be checked for it for a start,” Crawford said when interviewed last week.
“Find out what has to be done about it and not wait until you’re 50.
“It’s hereditary and they’ve got to tell their family – let your family know to be checked.”
As his cancer took a greater hold in September, Crawford was thrilled to prolong his innings and make it to one last Christmas with his family and said he’ll miss those family moments most of all.
“Out of everything – I’ll miss Dianne most,” he said.
“You’ll miss everything, though, you think of things that you’re going to miss and everything relates to everything.”
Bill’s wife Dianne implored anyone with a European background – the primary ethnic group affected by it – to get checked as it can be looked for routine blood test and if found early enough haemochromatosis is treatable and manageable.
“We want people to be aware – check out the warnings,” Di Crawford said.
“Ask them for a haemochromatosis test – what’s the problem, it’s just a blood test.”
Always cheerful, even to the very end, Crawford was a perennial fixture on the boundary at Arch Brown Reserve in Berwick watching his son Ryan charge in.
Sitting with his transistor radio, form guide and a cooler with a few cigarettes, soaking up the sun and just enjoying everything about being at the game – it’s that memory of Bill that many will fondly remember now his innings has ended.
Bill is survived by his wife Dianne, mother Fay, brother Shane, children Ryan, Bryce and Shannon, grandchildren Ethan, Beau, Christian and family members Kristy and Mel.
Bill Crawford’s funeral was held on Wednesday at the Springvale Botanical Cemetery.
