Laura Crandall was suddenly and unexpectedly confronted with the death of her healthy toddler after a nap.\u00a0 She has bravely turned her loss into the greatest gain for this rare disorder, which before she emerged on the scene did not have a name.<\/p>\n
Laura is at the forefront of advancing awareness and understanding of Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). \u00a0She leads the SUDC Foundation and has created the largest international support program for parents and a registry of clinical and pathological data to help understand its causes.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone knows about SIDS.\u00a0 We are a smaller group of parents that fall through the cracks,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
On what would have been her daughter, Maria\u2019s, third birthday, Laura called New Jersey then Governor Christie Todd Whitman and initiated work on a bill that established protocols for deaths in babies and children up to age 3.<\/p>\n
Over the years, Laura has participated with the National Institutes of Health, National Institutes of Justice and National Association of Medical Examiners, testified to Congress, and helped introduce legislation at state and federal levels to support these families and help prevent more deaths of these young children.
\nOn December 18, 2014, Laura joined President Barack Obama in the Oval Office as he signed the Sudden Unexpected Death Data Enhancement and Awareness Act (H.R. 669).\u00a0 Because of Laura, SUDC is now recognized by the federal government.<\/p>\n
\u201cCourage is not doing what you think is amazing, it is doing things in spite of the fact that they scare you,\u201d says Laura.<\/p>\n
NORD is honored to tell Laura\u2019s story as part of the 2015 Portraits of Courage celebration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Laura Crandall was suddenly and unexpectedly confronted with the death of her healthy toddler after a nap.\u00a0 She has bravely turned her loss into the greatest gain for this rare … <\/p>\n