For the past 31 years, she's waged a battle against the second-leading cause of death in the United States--cancer.

It started not long after she was diagnosed with breast cancer as a 30-year-old, and it's continued through another bout with lymphona that was diagnosed last year. While others may have withdrawn to lament their own misfortune, Gay Crawford simply worked harder to battle the disease on all fronts as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society.

So when her named was announced as the winner of the Patient Courage Award at the society's annual recognition and appreciation event on May 4 at Lou's Village in San Jose, the standing ovation she received was for more than beating cancer twice--it was for a lifetime of dedication in the fight against the dreaded disease.

Crawford was one of many volunteers and community members honored with awards at the recognition event, but her's was the most poignant presentation.

"As a two-time cancer survivor, Gay serves as an inspiration to all who know her for her grace, courage and unwavering dedication to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families," said the society's program that night.

But Dr. George Fisher, an oncologist at Stanford University Hospital, summed it up the best when he said, "No one saves more lives than Gay Crawford."

The crowd roared its approval, and for good reason. Crawford's most recent fight has been against colon cancer, and she's teamed with Dr. Richard Adrouny to lead the effort to eradicate the disease through their Colon Cancer Free Zone program.

During March, the American Cancer Society conducted Colon Cancer Awareness Month, and thanks to the efforts of Crawford and Adrouny it was a celebration this year.

"Every city in the county of Santa Clara is now part of the zone," said Crawford of the Colon Cancer Free Zone that started two years ago with its inception in Monte Sereno. "Now we have to work on how to measure it, and how do we keep it going."

"Other cities are picking up on the idea that it is preventable and we can get our hands around it," she said.

Crawford is a champion in the fight against colon cancer, and it's because of her tremendous volunteer spirit and dedication in that fight that she was among the May honorees...

Still, while other award recipients were no doubt deserving, it was Gay Crawford who the night's crowd wanted to honor for her 31-year mission to lead the fight against cancer.