when crawford was 10 years old, her three-year-old brother jeff—whom she continues to praise as "the fourth most influential person in [her] life"—died of leukemia. since becoming a model, crawford has made childhood leukemia a focal point of her charity work, donating proceeds of her calendars to medical research. crawford has been a long-time supporter of the pediatric oncology program at the university of wisconsin–madison, where jeff was treated, stating that she believes he received the best care possible. she is also an honorary board member of the multiple myeloma research foundation.