Everyday Warrior July 2015 – Greg Casey

Everyday Warrior – July 2015

Greg Casey

Greg Casey knows the meaning of hard work and refuses to quit.

Inspired by his parents, two extremely determined blue-collar workhorses, Greg does everything in his power to take care of his wife, Jessica, and their son, Kai. He’s an independent personal trainer, CrossFit coach and graphic designer, who sometimes picks up additional odd jobs such as bartending, moving furniture or handyman work to provide for his family.

Originally from Albany, New York, Greg’s been an athlete his entire life. Although he began his athletic journey in little league baseball, soccer very quickly became his primary sport. For 23 years Greg excelled on the pitch, captaining both his high school and college teams, until an ACL injury took him out. Injury aside, it was training in preparation for college soccer where Greg developed his love of working out and all things fitness.

At 40 years old, Greg has undergone a staggering number of surgeries/procedures including, craniotomy, nasal surgery, two eye surgeries, ACL replacement surgery, testicular cancer surgery, and most recently cancerous trans-rectal surgery in 2012. After testicular cancer surgery and subsequent chemotherapy treatment, he and his wife were told there was absolutely no chance they would ever have children. Eight months ago, Jessica gave birth to their son, Kai.

“Getting that phone call from my wife the day she found out she was pregnant was probably one of the greatest days of my life,” Greg recalls. “I’m blessed to have an amazingly strong wife who supports my crazy CrossFit mentality. She is the apple of my eye and in every since of the word, beautiful.”

Greg is no stranger to fighting cancer and is now facing another tough battle. In May 2015 he was diagnosed with rectal cancer and is currently undergoing intense chemotherapy and radiation treatments for 6 weeks. As he’s done his whole life, Greg will continue to work hard and take inspiration from all of the supportive people in his life — his parents, his sister, wife and young son. He’ll also continue to lean on his extended family, his CrossFit family, the crew at CrossFit 45 North.

“I’m strong because I have all of my Crossfit peeps behind me, pushing me with an invisible hand when they’re not there and pushing me with a physical one when they are there. No one will let me settle or fall down. My coaches are going to make sure that I’m pushing for it every minute and I fucking love that. I think of some other warriors around me who are dealing with cancer and I’m absolutely motivated and honored to call them my friends and work my ass off to honor their spirit and fight.”