NF Awareness Month Proclaimed

First Selectwoman Samantha Nestor declared May as NF Awareness Month, intended to raise public understanding of neurofibromatosis, a rare condition that causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body.

Ms. Nestor presented the proclamation to Courtney and David Marshall and their daughter, Whitney, who has the genetic disease.

NF can lead to many health issues including deafness, blindness, disabling pain and cancer. According to the Children’s Tumor Foundation, the condition occurs in about one in every 2,000 to 3,000 births, affecting all genders, races, and ethnicities. There is no cure.

Each year, the Children’s Tumor Foundation, the drug discovery engine for NF, leads a month-long awareness campaign that includes online and in-person events designed to educate the public and build community around this under-recognized genetic condition. It brings together NF patients and their families, friends, local leaders, fundraisers, doctors, and researchers. More information about the foundation can be found here.