Hi everyone:
This site is as a place to share memories and resources with Craig's friends, family, colleagues, and everyone else that knew and cared about him. If you have anything that you'd like to share on this page, please feel free to reach out.
Lots of love,
Friends of Craig and Erika
To see the service from Bethany Assembly of God in Agawam, Massachusetts please visit this link.
Erika is deeply grateful for all those who have reached out and shown so much support. Thank you! They have received many great toys, books, flowers, and food. Below are some of the most practical ways to help.
We've set up a shared photo album here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/sbM4shAcdTWZZ1N76
(Feel free to add photos directly via the "Share to album" button, or email them to miller.will@gmail.com and I can add them for you). Please leave a comment about the occasion or event to tell others about your photo or video.
If you'd like to share an audio or written story, please reach out to smallwoodmemories@gmail.com
For more information, please see the Memories of Craig page.
Craig gave his life to many endeavors including his faith, athletics, and research, but above all was his love and devotion to his family. To carry on Craig's legacy, we've set up a college fund for Sadie (5 yrs) and Max's (18 mos) benefit. For more info, see the Sadie and Max's College Fund page.
To make a donation to their fund, please use Fidelity's giving page.
(for Erika's address, please email miller.will@gmail.com)
Kids: Max (18 months), Sadie (5yrs)
Parents: Brad and Beth Martin
Brother: Duke Martin
(for the Smallwood's address, please email miller.will@gmail.com)
Parents: David and Sheryl Smallwood
Sister: Sara Fisk
Shared photo album: feel free to add photos directly, or email them to miller.will@gmail.com and I can add them for you
Obituary - Alfred D. Thomas Funeral Home
Anchor Church (Craig’s Church): info@anchorboston.com
Anchor's Easter Service: Part remembering Craig starts at 12:30
Mount Hope Service - Part remembering Craig starts at 59:10
Daily Anchor Videos: 4.3.2020, 3.21.2020
Common Church: 47 Hour Work Week #1 , 47 Hour Work Week #2 , What's So Good About Christmas, Luke 15-16, Acts 13-14, Living Hope, Mosaic
Scientific Publications - Google Scholar
A Celebration of Life Service was held at Bethany Assembly of God in Agawam, MA. To see a recording of this service visit this link.
It's hard to believe but it's been one year without Craig. While we're still waiting for social distancing restrictions to lift for an in-person service to remember Craig and celebrate his life together, we wanted to recognize this day, the loss, and more importantly the life and impact that Craig had on all of our lives. To that end, some of his friends, family, colleagues, and teammates have put together a video sharing their memories of Craig with the hope that it allows us to remember Craig together...
If you would like to contribute your own memory of Craig, we would love to capture it. We're hoping to gather a wide variety to continue to preserve and share the wide impact that Craig had, so any and all memories / inspirations are welcome.
To contribute, please send a short (<15sec) video to smallwoodmemories@gmail.com. Thank you!
And a huge thanks to everyone that contributed to making this video possible (in order of appearance)...
Randal Quackenbush
Lee Makowski
Brian Walsh
John Priest
Craig Wheeler
Frances Edwards
Thomas Van Der Laan
Fabricio Paes
Jeff Bilharz
Helen D'Orazio
Bojan Mandaric
Rory D'Orazio
Apryl D'Orazio
Will Miller
Ashlynn Campagna
Peter Betit
Bryn Wimberley
Irena Lovric
Ashley Haese
Petar Lovric
Jeff Haelle
Victoria Roberts
Rania Farrash (voice)
Lou Harwood
Carmelina Rakiec
Keylea Garrison
Kevin Bullock
Brad Martin (voice)
Dan Rakiec
Brandie Miller
Beth Martin
Shane O'Mara
Brogan Graham
John Kheir
Jack Edwards
Rob Barrett
Claire McCarthy
Ally Salyers
Ryan Campagna
Kemberli Paes
Sarah O'Mara
Christina O'Connor
Nick and Gina Fatato
Tom Manz
John Thompson
Mary and Nathan Rakiec
Max Smallwood
Sadie Smallwood
Erika Smallwood
The American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC) awarded Craig with the Forrest M Bird Lifetime Scientific Achievement Award. The announcement and acceptance speech by Erika can be found at the link below.
It has been a joy to see our dearly missed Dr. Craig Smallwood’s legacy continue in many beautiful ways. With Craig’s birthday on August 13th, we are choosing to promote a way to continue his impact in research in respiratory care.
The Craig D. Smallwood PhD, RRT Early Investigator Fellowship is inspired by Craig’s mentoring of new researchers in neonatal and pediatric respiratory care. The fellowship will resource the chosen fellow with financial, experiential, and mentoring resources. Please consider furthering Craig’s legacy in the world of respiratory care by donating below.
Make sure to select "Named Fund" and "Craig Smallwood Endowment" as in the screenshot below.
The meal calendar has been updated and there are new openings available. See link above.
Sharing Andrew Charko’s sermon from 5/24 (he speaks about the Smallwoods and uses Craig’s Anchor video for his 3rd point):
https://newdaychurch.cc/messages/a-pandemic-of-hopelessness/
Dräger Announces ARCF Endowment to Support Neonatal and Pediatric Respiratory Care Research
Endowment funds the Craig D. Smallwood PhD, RRT Early Investigator Research Fellowship
Telford, Pa. - As part of an ongoing commitment to the advancement of respiratory care, Dräger announced that it has granted the American Respiratory Care Foundation (ARCF) a $50,000 endowment to support the Craig D. Smallwood Early Investigator Fellowship.
https://www.draeger.com/Library/Content/arcf-endowment-pr-44-en-us.pdf
In Craig’s final days, he was working tirelessly on a low cost EPAP (Expiratory Positive Airway Pressure) device that could be used in developing nations to prevent patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms from needing a ventilator. Craig’s devices were sent to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana, Africa where there are between 100-200 ventilators for 2.4 million people. The devices were sent on March 30, 2020 and subsequently lost in Germany for a period of time. We received word from Craig’s colleague at Northeastern on April 15, 2020, five days after Craig passed away, that the package safely arrived in Ghana.
Korle Bu Teaching Hospital is doing testing with Craig’s device (unofficially called the “Smallwood Device”) on patients with a variety of symptoms. Here is one story from May 4, 2020:
A very sick 23-year-old woman with cerebral palsy and other underlying health issues (however, no COVID-19 symptoms) was in the ICU for 18 days. This patient was battling sepsis and multi-organ dysfunction. She was on a ventilator and was headed for a tracheotomy (an incision made in the windpipe to relieve an obstruction to breathing). Receiving a tracheotomy in any circumstance would be devastating; however, a tracheotomy in a developing nation has its own obstacles. Doctors were weaning respiratory support on the ventilator and had an opportunity to extubate her, so they seized the opportunity. Her team wanted to try a non-invasive ventilation tactic (a face mask is used to deliver oxygen and pressure), so they tried the Smallwood Device. After one hour on the Smallwood Device, her heart rate lowered, her blood pressure lowered and her respiratory rate stabilized. The Smallwood Device helped this patient break her bad cycle of low shallow breathing, prevented her lungs from collapsing and also prevented her from needing a tracheotomy. Craig’s colleagues are so excited with these early results. As more information becomes available regarding other testing and device production, we will post on The Smallwood Device page.
Here's a poem from one of Craig's coworkers, Michelle Lilley...
Craig
It’s funny how we go through life,
Through work and home and play,
The same old people by our sides,
... “just there”...day after day.
We never really stop and think,
To ponder or to share,
Too busy with the “day to day”,
To appreciate what’s there.
I never realized someone’s face,
Or smile, could change your day,
Its impact gone unnoticed,
Till one day,.. it’s ripped away.
And in that instant,… all is still,
The silence rings so clear,
And their loud, contagious laughter,
Is impossible to Not hear…
Their friendly greeting every day,
Their cheeky grin and wit,
Their art of brightening any room,
By walking into it.
And this sums up a very special man,
A true friend, colleague, husband, dad, and gent,
Who’s time with us has made us blessed,
But far too quickly spent.
We play out memories old and new,
Reminiscing with a tear,
Not because these thoughts are bad,
... we just wish you still were here.
To know him was to love him,
Whether family, work, or friend,
There seems no words that fit just right…
...well... maybe one... Legend.
To talk of him could take all week,
For now, I shall resist,
Dude... sleep tight now, you’re in our hearts,
And forever will be missed
Modified poem by Joanne Revell
Several talks and video's that Craig produced were added to the "Works by Craig" section.
The Harvard Medical School flag is at half-staff today in tribute to Craig. Here is the note shared with the HMS community.
CraigSmallwood.com was purchased and linked to this site for easier sharing.
Obituary: Craig's obituary is now available. It's unbelievable how much he was able to accomplish in his time on this earth.
College Fund: The college fund for Sadie and Max is up and ready for donations. Thank you so much to everyone that helped make this a reality. It's a wonderful way to help give a bright future to Craig's kids that he loved so very much. More info on how to give on the Sadie and Max's College Fund page.
Memories and Stories: Please see the Memories of Craig page with more info on how to help preserve and share Craig's spirit.
College Fund: We've established a fund for Sadie and Max's college education that should be available for donations within a day or two. Once ready, we will share the details on how to contribute here.
Meals: The sign-up sheet for the meals is up in the "Ways to help" section. As we mentioned before, the Smallwood family fridge is nearly overflowing already, so we're asking that the first meals hold until May. Thanks to everyone who has contributed already.
Home Projects: As many of you know, Craig had nearly finished a complete renovation of the Smallwood family home. There is some landscaping work remaining to be completed to allow the kids to play in the backyard and eventually host friends and family again. If you are interested in financially contributing to this effort please contact Will Miller at miller.will@gmail.com.
Craig's coworkers "moved heaven and earth" yesterday to ensure that the family has the best chance of knowing what happened. Many thanks to the monumental effort they put forth over Easter weekend.
Meals: Erika and family have a fridge packed full of food thanks to donations already as well as stocking up for the stay-in-place. While the outpouring of support has been very much appreciated, she's asked that we coordinate future meals through her friend, Kem Paes so as not to waste food. We'll post a link for a way to sign up soon, but the family is more than set for the immediate future.
Cards: We've removed the addresses from the above section for privacy as this site is shared, but feel free to email Will at miller.will@gmail.com for the best address to send cards.
An Easter service was held (w/ memory for Craig) at 10:30am eastern time. The service was performed and broadcast on zoom by his church which acknowledged Craig and talked about his life, as mentioned above the actual memorial service will be held a later date (TBD). Easter Service with words remembering Craig (starts at 12:30): https://drive.google.com/file/d/17RRpnkk30f6zi-Z4e_pBexpcW87dLDaL/view
Craig passed away in the early morning hours of Friday April 10. The cause of death is still unknown, but it is not suspected to be related to Covid-19.
His wife, Erika, has decided to hold off on a service until Craig's friends and family can be together in person to celebrate his life. Right now, she's thinking that it will be at the church where they got married, but still working through many of the details.
Erika, Sadie (5), and Max (18 mo) have Erika’s parents and brother in the house to support them while dealing with everything. Craig's sister is pregnant and very close to giving birth in Calgary. His parents are with her right now.
I know that Craig had a huge impact on so many lives, and I know that there have already been a number of great ideas already proposed both as ways to help his family as well as to remember what an awesome person Craig was. We've spoken with Erika and she's obviously got a ton that she's dealing with right now, but asked that we build a list of the thoughts and ideas so we can coordinate, when she's eventually ready. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, we’d be happy to pass them on - please share with them here.