I was first diagnosed at 6 months old at the University of IowaHospital... All of my traits - my empathy, kindness, intelligence, and my sense of humor isn't because of NF. NF is just one of my many traits. Living with NF, I knew that I was lucky.
We were still told not to worry, since these types of tumors never change ... We have also gotten involved in NF Midwest. I'm also part of REiNS ... Not long ago, Markus had a scare and lost more than two-third of his hearing overnight.
Jana was seven when she found out about NF ... But she was courageous, and we trusted the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh to save her life ... Her NF caused several different complications in her life ... Her face is slightly different from the NF.
She was the youngest of six, but I called it mom's intuition ... We've been to three of the best pediatric hospitals in Ohio, and they ALL do things differently when it comes to NF1 ... She will have to be followed for the entirety of her life.
The Children's Tumor Foundation (CTF) is excited to announce a significant investment of over $888,000 in research focused on neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and all forms of schwannomatosis (SWN), including NF2-related schwannomatosis (NF2-SWN).
Judy Russo's daughter Catherine lived with NF1 and, at the age of 45, was diagnosed with breast cancer ... We are honored to share Catherine Russo's Story of NF ... She did make him aware of her NF, but that never caused the doctor to become alarmed.
A nurse noticed all of Norah's CALs and referred us to dermatology, where we discussed the likelihood of NF or similar diagnoses. It was a lot of information to take in while keeping our emotions on hold.
But I remember growing up and going to the hospital once a year to get MRIs of my brain and spine ... I remember having a possibility of having scoliosis and what that would look like to fix that.
Both of whom died of NF-related issues ... I was stricken with grief and NF health challenges at the same time ... I feel that it is important that I keep my creative mind alive so I can do my best to journal for myself and the benefit of others with NF.
My mom was a Medical assistant and had a patient with neurofibromatosis, so she knew a little bit about NF, so she got a medical book ...Living with NF is really hard ... I am blind in one of my eyes.
It was the most challenging day of my life, to be honest ... That was a BIGSHOCK! None of my family has NF2-SWN; does that make me special? Huh, I don't know, maybe yes! ... It hurts me more than any symptom of NF and any pain. And there's a lot of pain.
I remember lots of tests coming after that. Lots of trips to children's hospitals, seeing a geneticist, MRIs. I felt weird knowing I was the only person in my family with NF ... It wasn't until I was 13 that I found NF camp.
I was diagnosed in 2020 at the age of 23 ... I was frustrated with all of my doctors growing up AND my dermatologist for not catching it sooner. I recently (end of 2022) gave birth to my son who also has NF1.