The Children's Tumor Foundation, Racing 4 Research raises money to benefit NF research through corporate sponsorship, personal donations, and individual fundraising by our NF heros.
NF Heros- are children and adults from around the country who every day live with the challenges of NF -are the heart of the Racing4Research program. Our Heroes, along with their family and friends, host fundraising events throughout the year and join the team at the track for a private meet and greet and autograph session with the drivers. With more than just winning in mind, the Children's Tumor Foundation team is racing to raise awareness and find a cure for NF.
I had racing on the mind... I wanted to know why In the Indianapolis500... they drank milk.. not champagne....like at Lime Rock...and this is what I found out....
Milk became the drink of champions after Louis Meyer, the winner of the 1936 Indianapolis 500, was photographed gulping down a bottle of buttermilk, his favorite drink. Apparently, his mom had recommended the drink, claiming it would refresh him.
The photo found its way to the desk of an executive at the Milk Foundation who, seeing a rare promo opportunity, "made sure that from that year on the winner of the race received a bottle of milk to drink." A tradition was born. Not surprisingly, the National Dairy Council supports this ritual, calling the celebratory chugging of the milk, "a winning example for people everywhere who are looking to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle."
The victory milk is just one of may long standing traditions associated with the Indy 500, but if PETA has its way, it will soon come to an end. The organization is looking to end the drinking of the milk, claiming it to be a "beverage born out of cruelty to baby calves" and a "racist drink."
So back.. to our weekend.... and how my son... finally met other kids.. with NF.....
This is what the car looked like...
I had a few favorite cars...
Linda and Kevin.. had some go carts to race....
* Stephanie said... " OH, you two are Bff's now.. and Dylan who is 9 years old.. said," No we are B-NF F's"
The race is over... and Ryan... our car.. came in 3rd.....Dylan mad this sign for Ryan
It's off to the winners circle..
* Ryan and Seth on the far right....
* Ryan and my son above
My son... holding the champagne... above
.. and we felt that the Children's Tumor Foundation was vital in creating an environment of acceptance.. for my son... and all the children affected by NF. This annual event... with it's loud cars, rolling hills, blue shirts, excitement... and new friends.... was just what I needed... to go full throttle... and so before we went back to our homes, lives and jobs.. we took eachothers emails... and hoped to see eachother in Daytona...some time.....
If you want to know more about NF... got to www.ctf.org and read below:
Neurofibromas, the most common tumors in NF, are benign growths which typically develop on or just underneath the surface of the skin but may also occur in deeper areas of the body. Neurofibromas, which are composed of tissue from the nervous system (neuro) and fibrous tissue (fibroma), usually develop around puberty although they may appear at any age. The tumors are not contagious. Nodule-like surface tumors are known as dermal neurofibromas. Plexiform neurofibromas grow diffusely under the skin surface or in deeper areas of the body.
The presence of multiple neurofibromas is an important diagnostic sign of NF. Single neurofibromas may occasionally occur in people who do not have NF. The number of neurofibromas varies widely among affected individuals from only a few to thousands. There is no way at present to predict how many neurofibromas a person will develop. Dermal neurofibromas rarely, if ever, become cancerous. Such a change, called a malignant transformation, may occur, although very rarely, in plexiform tumors. Therefore, it is important that patients be in the care of an NF specialist. Some neurofibromas, depending on their location and size, can be removed surgically if they become painful or infected, or cosmetically troublesome. A new tumor sometimes appears where one has been removed, particularly if that tumor was not removed completely. There is no evidence that removal of growths will increase the rate of appearance of new growths, or can cause incompletely removed tumors to change from benign to cancerous.
Café-au-lait spots, the most common sign of NF, are the flat, pigmented spots on the skin, which are called by the French term for coffee (café) with milk (lait) because of their light tan color. In darker-skinned people, café-au-lait spots appear darker in color than surrounding skin. People with NF almost always have six or more café-au-lait spots. (Fewer café-au-lait spots may occur in people who do not have NF; in fact, about 10% of the general population has one or two café-au-lait spots). The size of the spots that identify NF varies from 1/4 inch (5 mm) in children and 3/4 inch (15 mm) in adults to several inches in diameter or larger. In general, with few exceptions, tumors are not more likely to appear where there are spots. Café-au-lait spots are usually present at birth in children who have NF or, generally, appear by two years of age. The number of spots may increase in childhood and occasionally later in life. The spots may be very light in color in infants and usually darken as the child gets older. Smaller pigmented spots, which may be difficult to distinguish from ordinary freckles, may also be present in people with NF. In those who do not have NF, freckling usually occurs in areas of skin exposed to sun. With NF, café-au-lait spots and freckling are present in other areas as well, including the armpit (axilla), where small spots are called axillary freckling, and the groin. Axillary freckling is not seen in every person with NF, but when present it is considered strong evidence of NF.
Iris nevi (also called Lisch nodules) are clumps of pigment in the colored part of the eye (iris). Iris nevi, which usually appear around puberty, can be distinguished from iris freckles (commonly seen in people without NF) by a simple and painless procedure called a slit-lamp examination, which is typically performed by an ophthalmologist. Iris nevi do not cause medical problems and do not affect vision. The presence of iris nevi can occasionally be helpful in confirming the diagnosis of NF.
2 comments:
Hello...coming by to visit your blog..
The picture are awesome...really gives you a Feel of the day. What an great tradition to start! Blessings, Joanne
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