Thank you for visiting my Personal Fundraising Page. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to 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!
For those of you who don't know me, and for those of you who do know me, but don't know, I was born with a disease called Neurofibromatosis.
I know what you're thinking... "Neuro... WHAT?!" It's the first reaction of many people who have just heard the word for the first time.
Neurofibromatosis (or "NF", as it is commonly called) is a genetic disorder that occurs in more than one in every 4,000 births, making it more common than Cystic Fibrosis, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and Huntington's Disease, combined. NF causes tumors to grow, randomly, at any time, throughout the body on the nerve sheaths. It can lead to terrible disfigurement, blindness, hearing loss, brain tumors, bone deformities, loss of limbs, learning disabilities, and in the most extreme cases - cancer or death.
Not all who have NF will suffer from the most severe symptoms, but since NF is a highly progressive disorder, it is impossible to predict how mildly or severely one will be affected. Currently, there is no cure for NF, except surgery to remove tumors, but even then, the tumors usually grow back.
NF is a disease that is inherited, but nearly 50% of all NF cases occur from a spontaneous gene mutation, such as my case. Until myself, there has been no one in my family history to carry the NF gene. I was diagnosed when I was 3 years old, and at 26 years of age now, I have been so far blessed to have a mild case of NF. I have the trademark "cafe - au - lait" spots, and lisch nodules (brown spots on the eye's iris), which are two of the physical traits of NF. I had one tumor removed from my leg in 2004, and I currently have several small tumors on my body that have developed over the past several years. I also suffer from severe itching, which I recently found out is caused by NF.
Unless a cure is found, my future children face a 50% chance of inheriting NF from me. Since the effects vary from one person to the next, there is no telling how mild or severe their cases may be, if it is passed on.
So, I've decided that since I can't run from NF, I am going to run FOR it! I've joined forces with the NF Marathon Team, and on January 6th, 2007 I will be running in my first event with them at the Walt Disney World Half Marathon. The 2007 team for the Disney Marathon Weekend is the largest Disney team to date for us, and I'm looking forward to being a part of that.
My goal is to raise $2000.00 for NF research. Here's where YOU come in! I'm asking for your sponsorship as I run in this 13.1 mile race. All proceeds go to the Children's Tumor Foundation. All donations are 100% tax deductible. Gifts of $50 are greatly appreciated, however, no amount is too little. After all, it could be your dollar that puts an end to the search for a cure!
If donating online is not your thing, and would rather write a check to the Children's Tumor Foundation, and mail to
Kelly Howard
14 Bannbury Lane
Palm Coast, FL 32137
Thanks so much for your support!
God Bless,
Kelly A Howard
For more information on NF please visit http://www.ctf.org
Also, to find out what my team is up to, check out http://www.ctf.org/marathon and http://www.nfteam.com
