Many of those that join the NF Endurance Team also run for a reason beyond their desire to sweat for hours on end. Below, meet several of our LR Marathon NF Heroes and let them inspire you to get to the finish line. Our Heroes would like to congratulate you on your training and look forward to meeting you at the finish line!
Hannah was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis (NF1) at age 2. When Hannah’s mom hear the the doctor say she has a genetic disorder called Neurofibromatosis, Jennifer recalled:
”I entered a world of confusion, questions, and fear. I had never heard of this disorder before. Living with NF is difficult in the sense of never knowing what the next MRI will reveal. It is important that a cure be found. I am now involved with the NF Endurance team, which helps raise money for research. I have never been a runner and I am now entering the 1/2 marathon in March. I see it as, if my sweet Hannah has to endure living her life with NF, I can at the very least endure 13.1 miles, in effort for a cure to be found.”
Jennifer Elliott – aka, Hannah’s Mom
Mark & Aaron
Mark and Aaron are brothers, sharing the journey of living with NF. However, NF has manifest itself very differently for each brother. Mark became a teenager this year and had this to say about NF:
“My favorite thing to do for the NF Endurance team is cheering. It’s fun and exciting to see them run. They are running to find a cure for NF and for me. Sometimes you have to have MRI’s and you get bumps on your face and body that are little tumors. Sometimes they hurt. You get spots called Cafe’ Au Lait marks, but they don’t hurt you just get more of them. In second grade I had brain surgery because I had a tumor on the back of my brain. I kept getting headaches. It was real small at first then it grew really big really fast. My doctor at Arkansas Children’s Hospital said it was serious and we couldn’t wait. It was by my spine and could kill me. They shaved part of my head and cut me from my crown to my neck. It hurt! I had to stay in the hospital for a week. I don’t have a brain tumor now so I’m glad. I hate NF and wish it would go away or have a cure. There isn’t a cure so that is why it’s important to run for NF. All of us kids need a cure.”
Thank You, Mark Sullivan
