In loving memory of Cheryl “GG” Gear
Cheryl “GG” Gear – Gone Too Soon, But Never Forgotten
December 1956 – February 2025
Our mum, Cheryl Gear—our GG—was everything to us. She was our rock, our safe place, our unspoken leader. She was the heart of our family, the glue that held us all together. Her love, her wisdom, and her quiet strength shaped who we are. And now, far too soon, she’s gone.
In October 2024, our world changed forever when Mum was diagnosed with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (sCJD)—a cruel, rapid, and unforgiving disease we had barely heard of before it took her from us just a few months later.
Mum was a fighter, even when the odds were impossible. She faced CJD with the same resilience and grace she carried through her whole life. And now, in her honour, we want to fight too—so that no other family has to go through this heartbreak.
CJD is always fatal. There is no cure, no treatment—just devastating loss. But research is making a difference. Advances in testing, like the RT-QuIC test through the CJD Registry in Melbourne, exist today because of funding from families who came before us. Now, it’s our turn to help.
We’re raising money in GG’s name to support CJD research in Australia. Every dollar donated will go directly to research, improving diagnostic tools, and supporting families like ours who never saw this coming.
If you knew Cheryl — our mum, our GG — you know how much she loved us, how fiercely she protected us, how deeply she cared for the people in her life. This is how we honour her. By making sure her story helps others.
The CJDSGN guarantees that every cent received will go directly to support the CJD Research Teams in Australia, improvements in diagnostic tools or the work of the CJDSGN in supporting families affected by CJD. Cheryl’s family will be notified of your donation and consulted on the allocation of funding.
The CJDSGN is a registered charity and will provide you with a tax deductible receipt. We use PayPal’s secure checkout to process our donations. *Please allow or select to return to the CJDSGN website from Paypal to ensure your donation is processed.*