My name is Angie and I am 40 years old and have NF1. My son Cole is 10 years old and has NF 1. As you know NF affects everyone differently. No one else in my family has NF. Mine was spontaneous.
NF has affected me (Angie) in a lot of ways. I have had to have several tumors removed because of it. But it has also made me stronger. I always thought I was the only one in the world who had NF. It wasn't until I was about 13, I went to a camp for kids who had NF and it was amazing and truly changed my life. For the first time, I was with others who knew what I was going through.
Watching my son deal with obstacles because of his NF has been hard. But he is so strong and never lets anything get him down. He always has a smile on his face. Recently he has had a neurofibroma pop up on his face that has grown pretty fast in the last few months. It doesn't seem to phase him and when anyone asks he handles it so well. We have a surgery date to get it removed and he couldn't be more excited. He always asks a lot of questions and I think he had more questions for the surgeon than I did.
Cole loves to draw and create different things. One of his favorite things to do is watch youtube videos on how to draw, that's where the idea of the panda came in. The other two are things he loves.
So yes this ugly disease affects us in so many ways and there are times it's hard. But that's when I have to lean on the Savior. Without him, it's impossible to get through things. That is what has got us through so much. I'll end with my favorite Bible verse
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Original Artwork (5"x7") by Cole Hubacher for SketchNF Spring 2023

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