This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Stories
Giving hope to the next generation
Ian Crump has searched for scientific answers his entire life and is still supporting research in every way he can.
Ian Crump has searched for scientific answers his entire life and is still supporting research in every way he can.
Ian Crump wishes he were 50 years younger.
“I trained as a biologist and geneticist in the 1960s – and I would just love to be able to join CERA researchers in their exciting work in their labs today,” he says.
Now retired, Ian who is 77, graduated with a Bachelor of Science and a Diploma of Education and worked for a decade at the CSIRO in Melbourne.
“I was part of a small team introducing computerised literature searching to CSIRO and other Australian scientists in the 1970s and 1980s,” Ian says.
“We developed techniques to search large databases and were possibly some of the first people in Australia to use the internet.”
Ian, who lives in Apollo Bay with his wife Chris, is keenly interested in the work of CERA researchers but not only because of his science background.
Ian also lives with retinitis pigmentosa and is involved in CERA projects.
Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of rare eye diseases that affect the retina – the light-sensitive layer of tissue in the back of the eye.
Retinitis pigmentosa is caused by a change or ‘mistake’ in one or more genes.
Cells in the retina do not work as they are supposed to and over time you lose vision.
Around 70 genes are known to cause different types of retinitis pigmentosa. There are many more genes, but they have not been discovered yet.
“My family has had retinitis pigmentosa for at least three generations, but we are lucky that it doesn’t start to affect us until our thirties and then gradually progresses,” Ian says.
“My grandmother, father and two of his siblings, and my older brother and I have all maintained some central vision throughout our whole lives.
“My grandmother was good at covering up her vision problems, but she would bump into things, then my father did the same.
“My two sons have not shown any signs of the disease, so maybe they have won the genetic lottery.”
Value of research: Ian Crump is passionate about supporting research.
Supporting research
Ian, who also has chronic fatigue syndrome, which led him to leaving the workforce early, grew up knowing retinitis pigmentosa would probably affect his vision later in life.
“Every time I went to the optometrist, I asked whether I had any granules, and when they did start appearing, it didn’t really cause problems until my night vision went, which is a classic sign of retinitis pigmentosa,” he says.
“Eventually I couldn’t line up things properly in my amateur screen printing.
“I had to stop playing cricket about age 45, and when playing golf, I always needed a partner behind me watching as the ball would disappear from my limited peripheral vision and I had no idea where it went.
“I also started to be known for bumping into displays and people at the local supermarket, which wasn’t too good.”
Ian surrendered his driving licence at the age of 70.
“We used to take our caravan to Queensland every winter – but when my licence came up for renewal, I ticked yes to the eye condition question,” he says.
“That was difficult because my chronic fatigue means I can’t walk very far without tiring, and I started feeling depressed about both conditions.”
Happily, Ian has since increased his mobility by using a scooter and sometimes a visibility cane.
Ian began his connection with CERA several years ago after seeing an article about research. He generously donates once a month.
“I provided my DNA to the VENTURE study but no gene match was found,” he says.
“I always knew it was unlikely something would happen for me given my age but who knows? The amount and the speed of discoveries is so exciting.
“And I wish I were 50 years younger! I would have loved to do research alongside CERA scientists.
“The hope is there, and the results are coming.”