Aidan is my NF HERO. She is 8 years old and has NF1. (I have NF2, which is different. See below this part.)

I'd like to tell you a little bit of how NF1 has affected Aidan's life. She was diagnosed at 4 months of age, due to the amount of cafe au lait spots. By the time she was 12 months old, she had already had an ultrasound of a bump in her chest and an MRI of her brain. Fast-forward 7 years, Aidan has multiple tumors throughout her body, including her spine. One of those tumors is large and continues to grow in her neck, shoulder, brachial plexus. She's had about 14 MRIs with sedation. The tumor on her shoulder hurts enough that she can't wear a backpack on that shoulder... Her major daily issues are learning. She has multiple learning disabilities due to NF. ....

She hates being different. When she was given a slant-board or a pencil grip in 1st grade, she said, "No, I want to write like the other kids".

Despite all that, Aidan loves cheerleading, dance (ballet and hip hop), swimming, baking, and playing with anyone rather than playing alone.

Hey! I am Anne, and I have Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2), which I found out about when I was 7. Every case of NF is different, as it can cause tumors to grow anywhere in the body. I have became deaf at age 19, and also have had multiple surgeries of the head and spinal tumors. Thank God I can still run! In 2007, I ran my first full marathon! Days later, I became deaf in April 2007 when I had my second auditory nerve tumor removed. Then, I came to school at RIT / NTID, in Rochester, NY, where I am interior design major, and run on the Cross Country / Track Teams! In November 2008 I ran my 2nd full marathon in NYC! It was awesome!

This page is for the Long Island Half Marathon in May 2009, and I with my friend Kristina Diaz are co-captains for the team, so be sure to check out that page too. Both of us ran the long island race last year and it had a great turnout, hopefully even more this year. Anyone is welcome to join, so please run or walk or donate!

Please help me raise money for research, so that a cure can be found for NF!

I love to run! It is fun!" - me

"Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must; Just never give up."

- Dean Karnazes

GOAL FOR THIS 1/2 MARATHON

My dad is also runner. Together our goal (I'll do it solo if he quits, ha-ha) is to raise $1,000,000 for NF research. We (the team) hope to raise $20,000 of that with this half marathon.