NEUROFIBROMATOSIS SOCIETY OF ONTARIO THE NFSO NEEDS YOU - PAGE 1 - BI-ANNUAL MEETING SCHEDULED FOR OCT 26TH - PAGE 3 - FALL 2014 NEWSLETTER THE NFSO IS TAKING PART IN THE STWM ON OCT 19TH - PAGE 4 - 2ND ANNUAL CHARITY GOLF CLASSIC FOR NF SET FOR OCT 4TH - PAGE 7- FALL 2014 ! IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE NFSO BOARD OF DIRECTORS Due to some recent changes in the membership of the NFSO Board of Directors, we have some fantastic opportunities for you to join our team and make a difference. ! Being on the NFSO Board of Directors provides an opportunity for you to work with people sharing a common goal to raise awareness and money for NF support and research. ! Currently available positions include: ! • President • Vice President • Secretary • 4 additional board members ! The new members must be in place by the end of the next general meeting - October 26th, 2014. ! The NFSO has been advised that if we do not get the required board members that the NFSO will have to close its doors. ! This charity has been of great value to so many over the years, we need you to ensure we can continue. ! If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please send an email to [email protected] with a brief bio telling us about yourself. ! Regards, ! The NFSO Board of Directors !1 NEUROFIBROMATOSIS SOCIETY OF ONTARIO FALL 2014 NEWSLETTER A Message from the President… ! Hello to all of you. Thank you for all the support you, our general members, have given us. I appreciate the patience you have shown regarding our changes in Leadership in the last six months. Having said that, I need to inform all, that I will be leaving the board as of our October Semi-Annual Meeting, due to Health issues. We will be having another election during that meeting to bring our Board of Directors for NFSO up to the 12 directors needed. Penni-Dawn will be leaving the board as well in order to take care of me. Julie Skinner has already resigned. Therefore we will only have 5 members. ! Please help us keep it going! We will be 30 years of age in October of 2015. One year from this next meeting. It has taken a lot of very hard work by a small group of people over the years. Let us make that a large number of people for the next 30 years, Okay? ! Now on to upcoming events. Man, you have got to check this out! Marathons and Golf and Sales and our Bi-Annual General Meeting, oh my! We are a busy group! So please check the section on Upcoming Events and the blurbs written for them. If you have questions please go to our website (same address...nfon.ca or call 1-866-843-6376) and they will be answered ASAP. ! To all our members with access to a computer please give us an email address to send our newsletters to. With close to 400 members, the cost of snail mail is very expensive! But not to worry, if you don’t have email access, we’ll still send it snail mail. Fewer paper copies produced = more money saved. Savings for; Lawyer fees, office supplies, Fundraising, etc. So be a sport and switch to email newsletters. Thank you so much! ! I would like to say Thank you to Lynne Leyland, Angela Bobbett and Nicole Goudreau, our most current past President's on the Board of Directors. Your time, effort and Love for this Charity has been noted and appreciated beyond our ability to say a proper Thanks! So, Kumbya. ! And to all our past and current Board members, a huge Thank you for your time and service that we know was given from Love. Love of a family member with NF or a friend or even love of yourself as well needed when one feels alone with this rarely spoken of medical condition called Neurofibromatosis. Let us get the Word out that this does exist and people are trying to do something about it !! You are never alone! We are always here for you. If you need information or just a friend to talk to, please contact us at anytime. Now read on and hope you enjoy. ! Sincerely ! Ms. B.J. KERNOT NFSO PRESIDENT OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS !2 NEUROFIBROMATOSIS SOCIETY OF ONTARIO FALL 2014 NEWSLETTER 5th Annual Retro Boogie Night for Sick Kids Semi-Annual NFSO Meeting Our fall meeting is scheduled to take place on Sunday, October 26, 2014 between 9:00 am to 4:00pm. ! It will be held at: Holiday Inn Toronto-Yorkdale 3450 Dufferin Street Toronto, Ontario M6A 2V1 The 5th Annual Retro Boogie Night for Sick Kids was held at the West River Event Centre on April 5th, 2014. This event is always a night to remember as the charity dinner and dance is a 70’s and 80’s themed extravaganza that brings out the boogie in everyone ! ! Please confirm your attendance before October 5th by contacting NFSO by: ! Phone: 1-866-843-6376 Email: [email protected] Completing the following online survey at: www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y2M3LLR This year 375 people in attended and supported Neurofibromatosis research at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. ! ! Over $40,000 was raised that evening, and much credit goes out to the charity committee: which consists of •Angelo and Ivana Virgilio •Annamaria and James Grassa •Rocco and Susanna Vessio •Chris and Claire McDonald •Cindy and Maurizio Lauriola ! ! Children will have the opportunity to play in a supervised area. If you require overnight accommodations, please contact the hotel directly at 416-789-5161. Financial assistance will be considered on a case by case basis. Please contact us for more information. ! Please ensure to mention the event name in order to receive a discounted rate which will only be available for bookings prior to 21 days of arrival. !3 NEUROFIBROMATOSIS SOCIETY OF ONTARIO FALL 2014 NEWSLETTER The STWM Charity Challenge ! The NFSO is thrilled to announce that we will be one of the official charities participating in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (STWM) this fall! This is a great opportunity to get your friends and family involved with the NFSO and to help promote NF awareness within our community. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! What are you waiting for? Everyone can participate on this day whether it is volunteering, walking or running a 5K race, or running a half or full marathon! Receive a FREE “Team NFSO” t-shirt as our “thanks” to you for joining our team! Reach a fundraising goal of $250 or more and we'll reimburse your registration fee! If you haven't joined Team NFSO yet here’s how to register. Registration is just two simple steps: STEP I) Register for the RACE EVENT: 1. Go to the STWM website: http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com 2. Click on REGISTER 3. Follow the instructions to register either online, by mail or in person. ! ! STEP II) Create Your Own Personal NFSO Online Fundraising Page 1. Click TRANSFER on your confirmation screen. EventsOnLine will transfer your contact information over to Artez Interactive. 2. Click OK. You will be taken to the 2014 Scotiabank Charity Challenge Fundraising Page. 3. Congratulations! You are now ready to fundraise online! ! ! ! ! Don’t forget to join “TEAM NFSO”!!! With your help we can reach our goal of raising $10,000!!! Pledges of $20 or more will receive a tax receipt! For more information visit our charity profile at: http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/en/charity/nfso.htm Volunteers Needed The NFSO is looking for volunteers to help on the morning of the marathon. Volunteers will help at a water station along the race route distributing water to the racers. ! ! We need 20 volunteers in order to have a NFSO station to promote Neurofibromatosis awareness. Please contact a member of the board of director or email [email protected] to lend your support. !4 NEUROFIBROMATOSIS SOCIETY OF ONTARIO FALL 2014 NEWSLETTER A New NF Hero ! On Sunday July 13th, 2014 Frank D’Urzo completed the Toronto Triathlon Festival in honour of Neurofibromatosis. His goals were to raise awareness for NF as well as raise $10,000.00 for NF research at Sick Kids Hospital. He was motivated to do this by 2 year Sebastian Bonavota who was diagnosed with NF at 16 months of age. Sebastian is the son of Vincenzo and Laura Bonavota who are good friends with Frank. ! Membership Updates In an effort to generate an electronic membership database, the NFSO is in the process of updating our records. ! As a result, we would ask you provide the following information: ! Name: Address: Email: ! This was Frank’s first attempt at a triathlon and he was very successful. He overcame the 1.5km swim in Lake Ontario, the 40km bike ride along the Gardiner and Don Valley Parkway and finished his 10km run across Lakeshore with pride. This information can be sent via email to [email protected] or to the following address: ! ! Frank exceeded all of his goals. During this campaign, several thousand people became aware of Neurofibromatosis and over 300 people made donations to surpass the $15,000.00 mark. “I am still absolutely astonished at the results we achieved. This is what happens when plenty of amazing people get together for a common good. Exceeding the $10,000.00 amount was one of the most overwhelming experiences in my life”. Frank’s efforts were rewarded with an interview on CP24 which can be seen on YouTube. ! For more details visit www.frankdurzo.com or YouTube Frank Durzo NF Society of Ontario 2004 Underhill Count Pickering, ON L1X 2M6 ! ! Communication Policy Change Please be aware that all future communication and newsletters will be sent electronically unless a written request is sent to the NFSO indicating that you would prefer to receive communication by mail. ! Written requests can be sent by email to [email protected] or to the following address: ! NF Society of Ontario 2004 Underhill Count Pickering, ON L1X 2M6 !5 NEUROFIBROMATOSIS SOCIETY OF ONTARIO NF and Tough Mudder On Sunday, July 13, I travelled with a group of 10 wonderful teammates to Upstate New York to complete my 3rd Tough Mudder. In thinking of the strength, bravery, and confidence it takes to complete each Tough Mudder, I decided to dedicate my 3rd Tough Mudder to my youngest brother, Timmy Corson, and raise some awareness surrounding Neurofibromatosis (NF). ! Since my brother's NF-1 diagnosis in 2011, I have met many remarkable people affected by this condition, and I admire them. There is an existing community of understanding, empathy, and support. They endure hundreds of doctors appointments, MRIs, specialist appointments, invasive surgeries, procedures, and pain. I look up to their incredible strength and resilience and hope that I can be half as strong. ! During Tough Mudder NY, my team proudly wore shirts with "#NFwarrior" on the back to show our support to those with NF. Those with NF are the warriors, and our challenge of completing the Tough Mudder was a representation of their strength. ! I would like to create a movement. A reminder of where true strength and challenge exists, and I'm challenging everyone to join this movement. Hashtag your own feats of strength with "#NFwarrior" to raise awareness for the condition and to show support to those with NF. Let's show the world, as a community, that there is no shame or weakness when it comes to NF. The bumps and spots are battle scars. It is a sign of strength. It is a sign of victory. Those with NF are warriors. FALL 2014 NEWSLETTER ! The NF Registry Dr Saber Ghadakzadeh would like to invite anyone with NF to contact him to fill out a questionnaire for the Ontario NF Registry. ! This Registry will help doctors assess aspects of NF that need more research, prove the need for better healthcare funding for NF, and create better understanding of the many needs of those with Neurofibromatosis, hopefully leading to improved treatments. ! !! More information will be provided at the meeting in October. See page 3 for details. The NF Registry can help doctors with meeting the many needs for those with Neurofibromatosis NFSO Board of Directors: President - BJ Kernot Treasurer - Annamaria Grassa Media & Fundraising Coordinator - Birgit Grimberger IT & Media Coordinator - Chris McDonald Media Coordinator - Claire McDonald Event Coordinator - Jame Grassa Research Coordinator - Penni-Dawn Kernot ! Much Mudd Love, Sonya #NFwarrior !6 NEUROFIBROMATOSIS SOCIETY OF ONTARIO FALL 2014 NEWSLETTER !7 NEUROFIBROMATOSIS SOCIETY OF ONTARIO FALL 2014 NEWSLETTER Raising NF Awareness in the Niagara Region It was such a pleasure for me to have the opportunity to fundraise for The Neurofibromatosis Society of Ontario, and to be able to raise money for the people who are living with NF type 1 and type 2. I became interested in this cause because NF has hit close to home for me with my son going through testing for NF type 1. I not only wanted to raise money, I also wanted to raise awareness to educate people about this condition. It was a great experience working with my family and friends, and as well as the people of this wonderful organization, as without them, the fundraiser would not have been a success. It consisted of a yard sale, bake sale as well as a raffle draw, and the total amount raised was $300.00. This was my first time organizing such an event, and it was a great learning experience for me. I will continue my fundraising efforts, and I look forward to my next event in the spring. I sincerely want to thank everyone who donated yard sale, or bake sale items, the volunteers, and to the people of Beamsville who came out and supported our efforts. The NFSO would like to thank Adrienne for helping spread NF awareness and raise funds for the NFSO. !8 NEUROFIBROMATOSIS SOCIETY OF ONTARIO FALL 2014 NEWSLETTER NFSO Member Profile - Lynne Leyland Many people probably know me from my involvement with the charity including 6 years as president of the board. Most probably do not know my NF story. Our daughter Elizabeth was a spontaneous mutation resulting in NF1. She was diagnosed at age 4 ½ after I noticed a neurofibroma forming on her side. (She had the requisite café au lait spots for as long as I can remember – but no doctors had paid any attention to them.) Elizabeth was diagnosed at age 2 ½ with moderate to severe autism. She remains on the severe end of the autism spectrum. This is actually unusual as it is far more common for people with NF to have high functioning autism. As part of her autism or her NF or simply in conjunction with them, Elizabeth also has severe intellectual impairment, is medicated for anxiety, has hyperactivity and attention issues, hyper mobility disorder and significant language impairment. (She also has very poor vision – but that is not caused by her NF). Elizabeth has been fairly lucky with her NF so far. She has a plexiform mass in her face and another on her chest wall – but they have remained fairly stable over the years. We have seen minimal changes in Elizabeth’s NF beyond what would be considered expected growth, even though she has gone through puberty. Elizabeth has internal tumors in various areas near her spinal column, but thankfully none that have required any surgical intervention. She continues to develop more neurofibromas. To date, although there are a number of other findings on her brain MRI – there are no NF tumours. Despite all her needs, Elizabeth is a mainly happy, active and mostly healthy young woman. She will be turning 18 soon, so we are in the process of transitioning from Sick Kids hospital in Toronto to adult medical services. This is a bit of a scary process as we will go from having one hospital that dealt with all her needs to attending various clinics at multiple hospitals. There is a “good to go” program at the hospital that assists parents in understanding the many things they should be doing as their child prepares to leave the children’s medical system. Since she will be 18 soon, we are also losing all the funding programs available for children and are applying her ODSP and getting on the wait lists for adult funding programs. My daughter’s NF and autism are what prompted me to become active with NFSO and with Autism Ontario. Over the years, I have been involved in board positions, awareness, charity events, guest speaking, networking with others, fundraising, parent support groups, and attending many workshops. At age 6, my daughter became my only job. I run in-home developmental programming for her, create social and life skill programs and hire and supervise the workers that implement the programming. Since I have been fortunate to attend many workshops that parents who work outside the home might never have the opportunity to be part of. I want to share the information I have learned from them. Email [email protected] if there is a topic or question that you are looking for information on. Over the years, I have met many people that have NF, are parents of a child with needs, or are staff, workers or volunteers with various agencies and companies. I am grateful for the friendships I have formed, and the ideas and support I have received. !9 NEUROFIBROMATOSIS SOCIETY OF ONTARIO FALL 2014 NEWSLETTER THANK YOU! Contact Us! ! ! There are so many different kinds of people to thank: the people who support NFSO financially, people who support us with their time and/or talents, business that assist us in our work, the volunteers who run the charity and its events, the doctors and clinicians who go above and beyond to improve treatments and hasten research with Neurofibromatosis who make the effort to educate those around them about NF and NFSO.! Neurofibromatosis Society of Ontario! 2004 Underhill Crt! Pickering, ON! L1X 2M6! ! 1-866-843-6376! 905-638-0811! ! www.nfon.ca! www.facebook.com/groups/nfontario! @nfontario! ! Your generosity enables the NFSO to better educate the public, share information, support research and assist people who have Neurofibromatosis and their families. ! ! As a volunteer run charity, we are only as good as the people who assist us. Even small donations or completing a small job for us makes a difference. Thank You! ! - Disclaimer -! The NFSO provides information to educate the NF community about issues and information related to Neurofibromatosis. Unless specifically indicated, we do not endorse any treatment, program, product, or service. !1 0
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