John Crowley, who is an American biotechnology executive and entrepreneur, and his wife Aileen are the real life inspiration for the movie "Extraordinary Measures" after creating a biotechnology company to save the lives of their children who have what life-threatening disease?
John Crowley (biotech executive) John Francis Crowley (born April 7, 1967) is an American biotechnology executive and entrepreneur and the chairman and CEO of Amicus Therapeutics. He co-founded Novazyme Pharmaceuticals with William Canfield, which was later acquired by Genzyme Corporation, and founded Orexigen Therapeutics. In 2006, he was profiled in the book "The Cure: How a Father Raised $100 Million – And Bucked the Medical Establishment – In a Quest to Save His Children" by Geeta Anand. In 2010, Crowley released his memoir, "Chasing Miracles: The Crowley Family Journey of Strength, Hope, and Joy." Crowley and his family were the inspiration for the movie "Extraordinary Measures" starring Harrison Ford in 2010.
Hayley Okines Hayley Leanne Okines (3 December 1997 – 2 April 2015) was an English author and activist who was a sufferer of the extremely rare aging disease progeria. She was known for spreading awareness of the condition. Although the average life expectancy for sufferers is 13 years, Okines was part of a drug trial that had seen her surpass doctors' predictions of her projected lifespan. She died on 2 April 2015 at the age of 17 due to complications of pneumonia, having lived four years beyond doctors' initial predictions.