Gray battles poor health

Gray (R) began losing blood and weight in December, is battling his second urinary tract infection in three months, and is fighting dehydration and weakness.

His chronic illness, coupled with the death of his father on March 4, has forced the veteran commissioner to miss several board meetings.

But he said this week he has no intention of stepping down as vice president of the board.

‘‘I’ve taken no leave of absence,” Gray said. ‘‘I’ve been able to work and not miss anything of significance at all. I have no intention of stepping down.”

Gray is unsure how many meetings and public hearings he has missed over the last several months, but his executive assistant, Belinda Teague-Levy, said Tuesday she is in constant contact with the commissioner.

The county keeps minutes and recordings of each meeting, work session and public hearing, including the number of commissioners in attendance, but it does not compile a record of how many meetings a commissioner attends and misses.

‘‘I do not know how many votes or how many days David has missed,” Board President Jan H. Gardner (D) said in an e-mail. ‘‘He has been in the hospital twice in recent months. Most business does move forward and all time sensitive items also move forward. I have delayed discussions of some growth related issues and also discussions pertaining to Fort Detrick since David initiated some of these discussions.”

Gardner said she is worried about Gray and his health.

‘‘David has been chronically ill in recent months and I do worry about him,” Gardner said. ‘‘I have even advised him to go home on a couple of occasions. We [commissioners] care about each other on a personal level and we will pick up whatever slack needs to be picked up.”

Gray, 69, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2001 during a routine physical by his family physician. He was serving as president of the Frederick Board of County Commissioners at the time and did not resign despite complications from the disease.

Crohn’s disease, while not fatal, will affect Gray for the rest of his life. The disease leads to the inflammation of the small intestine. It develops when the body’s immune system reacts to a virus or a bacterium by causing swelling in the intestines, according to the Crohn’s Disease Resource Center. The disease affects men and women equally, and seems to run in some families.

There is no known cure for Crohn’s, but with medication, regular check-ups and a healthy diet, patients can live a normal life. Until December, Gray said he was feeling fine.

Stress can exasperate the disease.

Gary spent the last several months traveling back and forth to see his father before he died earlier this month.