Thank you for visiting my fundraising page!

This marathon is very important to us as we are raising money to fight against Neurofibromatosis.  This disease not only effects our son but not having a cure effects our family. 

Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a genetic disorder of the nervous system which causes tumor to form on the nerves anywhere in the body at any time.  This progressive disorder affects all races, all ethnic groups and both sexes equally.  NF is one of the most common genetic disorders in the United States (one in every 2,500-3,000 births).  The Neurofibromatosis affects more than 100,000 Americans; this makes NF more prevalent than Cystic Fibrosis, hereditary Muscular Dystrophy, Huntingtin's Disease and Tay Sachs combined.  This is an ever progressing disorder with no known cure.

Our son Brendan was diagnosed w/ NF1 at 18 months of age.  As a mother I felt helpless and wondered what I did to cause this.  Instead of our family falling vitcim to this disorder my sister-in-law Lisa started a trend 3 years ago and since then we have raised over $13,500 and ran over 100's of miles for NF. We decided the disease was silent but our family would stand strong and fight every inch of the way.  This was very healing for this mom who once felt helpless.  Hope,faith and your contributions over the years have brought us a long way in this continuous journey.

I could not have started and continued this journey without the help & support of my family and friends.  This would have never been a reality with out my sister-in-law Lisa, my husband Donat for showing me that anything is possible and a very good friend Tara who pinky swore me to a marathon.  Let us not forget my children who have encouraged me, ran with me and biked with me. 

Our family appreciates all the support we have received in the past years.  We continually strive to fight against this silent disease.

Sincerely, Tricia Ratell

Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.

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