Recognizing World Nf Awareness Day

Floor Speech

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Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize World NF Awareness Day. Each year, the Children's Tumor Foundation works to educate the public about this rare genetic condition that causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body. One in every two thousand children are born with some type of NF and I am grateful for the opportunity to join in the critical effort to raise awareness of this disease.

NF is a group of genetic conditions that cause tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body. The impacts of NF can lead to long term disabilities and other serious health complications, including blindness, deafness. disfigurement, chronic pain, and cancer. Public awareness is essential to promoting early diagnosis and treatment to mitigate further complications of NF.

NF affects each individual differently and listening directly to NF patients paints a fuller picture of the disease and the continued need for awareness. Mr. Alwyn Dias lives in New Jersey's Eleventh Congressional District with his wife and two children and is a powerful advocate for NF awareness, research, and treatment. Mr. Dias was diagnosed with NF as a child after finding a marble sized tumor on his back. He shared the pain he felt growing up feeling that he needed to hide NF from his peers and the strength he found later in sharing his story. I am grateful for his vulnerability in discussing the impact NF can have on mental health and for his continued advocacy with the Children's Tumor Foundation.

The Children's Tumor Foundation does essential work to support those living with NF. Whether by funding world-class medical research, improving patient experiences in treatment, or offering support groups to patients and their families, the Children's Tumor Foundation provides an invaluable service to our community. They live up to their mission to drive research, expand knowledge, and advance care for the NF community, while working to one day find the cure.

I am grateful to join the Children's Tumor Foundation in recognizing World NF Awareness Day and to support their efforts to make NF visible.

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