Hey Everyone!

Jason and I are running for NF, and are going to TRY and do the 25K!!! 

As most of you know, I have NF.  It has taken me 27 years to really start to admit it, and start to accept it.  To be honest I am still working on it, but I am getting there.  I figure instead of running from it, I may as well run for it!!  And try to raise some money for this great cause while I do it.

Most of my life I have kept it a secret, and I have been able to for the most part, except for the questions I got when I was younger about having so many birthmarks.  And as I became a little older when I would have to have a couple surgeries and MRI's for my tumors.  The biggest question now is, now that I am married, I get asked when or if we are going to have kids....well for most people that is a simple question.  For my husband Jason and I we need to explain that we are trying to decide if we want to have a biological child and take our chances with all the risks involved in having NF and having a child.  Or we need to decide if adopting and bringing a child who needs a good home into our lives as our own.  All of these things have made me start coming out of my shell and start to talk more openly to people about my NF.

Last year we decided about two weeks before the event to run the 5K of the River Bank Run.  We wore NF t-shirts and ran for NF that day.  To be honest, I was pretty nervous to wear that shirt.  I did not want anyone to ask me any questions because then I would have to explain what NF is, which is never easy because there are so many different ways that it effects people, and it was tough for me to say that I have it.  Well that all went away when the run was over I was walking through the crowd when a young lady stopped me and said "Thank you for running for NF!  Who do you know that has it??"  I told her I do.  She said "My son is 4 years old and was just diagnosed, it is so good to see someone doing so good who has  this disease!"  She gave me a hug, and that short passing by conversation and hug absolutely changed me.  I felt so good after talking to her, and thought to myself, why am I trying to hide from this...I can really help people who are going through this, or help families who are going through this!  So that is what I am trying to do.  I am taking baby steps to hopefully help those going through NF, and I can do this with all of your help by raisng money for reasearch, to hopefully maybe someday find a cure, and to help those who need help paying for medical expenses.

My parents have been wonderful supporters of me, and of the NF support group family.  Probably from the age of 10 I wasn't involved at all.  They stuck with it, and now I am finally at the point in my life where I want to be involved to.

Thank you all for reading my long story, and thank you for donating!

Love,

Audra

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Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!