May is NF Awareness Month

To the editor:

May is Neurofibromastosis Awareness Month. What is NF? It is a genetic disorder that my 7-year-old daughter was diagnosed with when she was a baby. Neurofibromastoses are a set of genetic disorders that cause tumors to grow along various types of nerves and can affect the development of non-nervous tissues such as bones and skin. NF causes tumors to grow anywhere on or in the body. My daughter has multiple cafŽ au lait spots. This was what made our physician believe she had this disorder when she was a baby. The appearance of these are that of a birthmark. Many people are unaware they have the disorder until adulthood. It is important to me and my family to raise the awareness of what is said to be a common disorder. Since our daughter was diagnosed we have not told one person, outside of the medical population, that knew what it was. If you would like more information on the disorder, please visit www.ctf.org, or you may contact the Children's Tumor Foundation at (800) 323-7938.

MICHELLE SCHWETTMAN, Scott City