There are many afflictions that children – especially those on the Westside – suffer. There are the common acronyms, ADD, ADHD, various processing disorders and then there are challenges like NF that upend a family’s world. NF is the result of a single gene mutation, a mutation that occurs once in every 3,000 birth leaving that one child with a tendency to grow tumors on the nerves of their bodies. These pernicious tumors can lead to degrees of some or all of the following; disfigurement; blindness; skeletal abnormalities; dermal, brain, and spinal tumors; loss of limbs; malignancies; and learning disabilities. This condition affects both sexes and all races so can happen to any family.
As Kelly Peterson, the Pacific Palisades mom of a beautiful, spirited two year old with NF1 said, “We had never even heard of NF before our daughter’s diagnosis, and it took us some time to process her diagnosis.”
After researching their first child’s condition, Kelly and Michael Peterson decided to support The Children’s Tumor Foundation, “where we could be of the most use in working towards a cure for NF. They have done incredible work to facilitate scientific breakthroughs, generate awareness, and create a network of NF clinics around the world,” said Kelly Peterson about the organization she and her family support and from which they draw strength.
For the first time this year, the family will participate in the upcoming 7th Annual NF Walk (at CBS Studio Center in Studio City on June 3, 2012). “One of the most distressing aspects of NF is that there is neither an effective treatment nor a cure for this incredibly unpredictable and progressive genetic disorder. Events like this walk help families coping with NF to feel both positive and empowered by participating in the quest for a cure whiling having fun with supportive friends and family who want to help us end NF,†said Peterson.
So whatever battles you fight with your child or for them, I hope that they are not as life altering as the fight to deal with NF
For more information on this disorder: www.ctf.org
For more on the NFWalk: www.nfwalk.org/losangeles
