May is NF Awareness Month

NF stands for neurofibromatosis. It is a genetic disease that has affected our lives. Our daughter was diagnosed 10 years ago when she was 9 months old. NF is a lifelong disorder that can cause tumors to grow along nerves and can affect the development of bones and skin. It has a variety of potential complications and variation in severity. It is a disease that does not discriminate. It affects both sexes and all races and ethnic groups equally. It is more prevalent than cystic fibrosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Huntington's disease combined, yet we discovered when our daughter was diagnosed that we and most people had never heard of it. We have made it our mission since she was diagnosed to bring awareness of the disease. Within the past year, she has learned that she "has a disease," although she does not know the full extent of it. We take one day at a time and hope and pray that someday they will find a cure. For more information on neurofibromatosis visit www.ctf.org.

JEFF, MICHELLE, TYLER, MIA and MILEY SCHWETTMAN, Scott City