They lived ‘blessed lives’ running a cancer charity. Then Georgie got her diagnosis

Sisters Georgie Crawford-Smith (left), 55, a former hospitality worker and running coach and Annie Crawford, 59, founder of a cancer research charity, have always played and worked together. Now, the pair face a new challenge.

Georgie Crawford-Smith, left, and Annie Crawford: “Georgie’s teaching all of us how to walk through adversity with grace, courage and optimism,” Annie says.Credit: Natalie Boog

Georgie: Anne and I are from a family of seven kids – four brothers and three sisters. She’s the second-eldest, after our sister Julie. Chris, my twin brother, and I are the second-youngest. We shared a bedroom for 14 years in our family home on Sydney’s North Shore. I was untidy, so she’d bribe me with sweets to tidy up, clean my teeth and go to bed on time. I’d just run the tap water over my toothbrush; she was none the wiser.

When I was very young, Anne and Julie called me “DB” because I loved dobbing on them. That changed over the years as I became the naughty one. When I was 16, a friend wanted to go away with her boyfriend for the weekend. I told her mum we were having a party at my place and she was staying the night. But they ran away from home and the police were called. Chris said, “Georgie, you’re dead.” I panicked and lied to Mum and Dad, telling them I hadn’t said anything about a party. Anne was the only one I could tell. She gave me the biggest hug and said, “It’ll be all right.” I never forgot that.

Anne studied hard and was athletic, beautiful and popular. She’s 5′10″ [178 centimetres] and I’m 5′6″, so I looked up to her in so many ways, even though I was often compared unfavourably to both my sisters at school. I felt that no matter what I did, I’d never be as sporty or clever as them. I’ve always been careful about that with my own kids; comparison is the thief of joy.

Anne is amazing with kids. I remember visiting her once when she was living in Switzerland, and took my six-week-old baby and very badly-behaved three-year-old. Anne never once said anything to make me feel uncomfortable. And now she shares her grandchildren with me. We live on the same street in Manly and she always asks me to pop over when they’re at her place.

“When I told Anne, she dropped everything to help; it’s very lucky that we live so close to each other.”

In 2011, I began teaching people how to run long distances at Can Too [the not-for-profit founded by Annie in 2005 for cancer research]. I’d learnt a lot about the mental-health benefits of running and really enjoyed helping people feel better about themselves. By 2013, Anne and I were working together closely. I watched how she communicated with her staff, always being fair and really listening. It was incredibly rewarding watching how the organisation helped transform people’s lives and knowing it was my sister who’d made it happen.

Georgie, left, a running coach, worked closely with Anne at her charity Can Too.Credit: Courtesy of Anne Crawford

In September 2020, I was diagnosed with bile duct cancer. It was a huge shock; in my wildest dreams, I never thought I’d get cancer. I had surgery followed by chemo. I thought I’d recovered but, in December last year, the cancer came back. It’s now in my lymph nodes and lungs. When I told Anne, she dropped everything to help; it’s very lucky that we live so close to each other. I had another operation in January. Every day, I go to her place and sit with her for a couple of hours. She’s such a positive person to be around and I like that we talk about everything except illness.

I love Anne’s warmth, kindness and generosity. I love her – deeply.

Annie: Georgie was a bubbly little girl with a chuckle that everyone loved. At school, she was the kid who befriended all the loners. Georgie is always there to support you in bad times and to celebrate your wins. If one of my kids does something I’m proud of, I know that success means just as much to her as it does to me. I have two grandchildren in Sydney, aged two and one, whom I see every Wednesday. Georgie always joins me, even on days when I know she’s not feeling so well. She inherited this generosity of spirit from our mum.

Georgie always looks glamorous and has this wonderful mix of vulnerability and assertiveness. She might think she’s not as good at something as she really is, but then won’t have any trouble asking for loud music to be turned down in a noisy restaurant. She also gets any job that she interviews for.

One weekend, when she was a teenager and Mum and Dad were away, she had a party and everyone was drinking. My brother’s room was in the garage and, to make it look more like a bedroom, our parents had replaced the garage door with glass windows. Georgie had had too much to drink and accidentally drove the car through the windows. She was so terrified of Mum and Dad finding out that she managed to get them fixed before they got home. Naughty, but clever.

Our dad Graham died in 1987 at the age of 51 of bowel cancer. I was 23 and Georgie 19. She was overseas when he got the diagnosis and came straight home. He died two months later. It was devastating; I was a wreck for 18 months. Georgie and I supported each other through that. Sometimes it’s enough to just have someone there who understands. Georgie’s a big hugger. We hug when she comes over every day – a big, long, holding hug of love.

“Georgie’s a big hugger. We hug when she comes over every day – a big, long, holding hug of love.”

I founded Can Too because I know how good exercise and community are for mental health – and because I wanted to help fund cancer research. I wanted the win-win. Working with Georgie was easy. She just embodies our goals, which are to inspire, motivate, support and empower others.

Just before her diagnosis, we’d gone for a run together. We were saying what blessed lives we had and how grateful we were and Georgie said, “We’re just a phone call away from something bad happening.” She’d been feeling nauseous and had a feeling something was wrong.

When Georgie got her diagnosis, I can’t tell you how terrible I felt. And then there was the irony of it: she has eaten healthily and exercised every day for the last 30 years. Georgie told us serenely, “I’ll be all right,” and I’m following her lead; I am with her on this journey. She’s teaching all of us how to walk through adversity with grace, courage and optimism. She’s an amazing human being. I’m not just saying that because she’s not well. She always has been.

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