When I was born, something wasn’t right with my eyes. One was basically closed shut; they had to do stitches on my left eye so I could see out of it, and I wasn’t diagnosed with NF until around the age of six months old. My mom was concerned about the café-au-lait spot, which, at the time, she didn’t know what it was called. I have a lazy eye on my left eye. I’ve had a couple of surgeries to correct it throughout my life. I’ve also had MRIs to make sure everything was normal with my eyes. I struggled in school with reading and math, and I was in speech therapy for a long time. When I was in school, I got bullied a lot for the way I looked. 
In a way, I feel lucky. I struggled a lot in school, but I have since graduated. Yes, I was in special education all of school, but I made sure to work hard. When I graduated, I moved to Alaska for a year and then came back to Texas. Now, I volunteer at my local animal shelter, and I love every minute of it.
In December 2023, I had to go to a cancer doctor. My retina doctor referred me to this doctor, who we were told was one of the best and one out of two doctors in the state of Texas who specializes in eye cancer. My doctor referred me to this cancer doctor because of the mass behind my eye, and he just wanted to make sure that it was not cancerous. Later, the cancer doctor sent me for an MRI, and everything came back normal. I have to go back in June, but this was the first time I’ve ever been to a cancer doctor. Despite the surgeries I’ve had, MRIs, and other things I have faced in my life, this has definitely been the biggest thing in my life with my NF.
I volunteer at my local animal shelter because I won’t be able to work a regular job at this phase in my life. Due to my NF with my eyesight, I won’t be able to drive either, so that also puts a challenge on things. I remind myself this is my way of contributing and I learned so much in a work environment and that’s important. I just stay positive as much as I can. I love what I do. 
Favorite Song
Something That I Want
Dream Superpower
Well, I don’t know if this is a superpower, but I would love to be able to teleport to visit my friend in Alaska and help around with the animals again.
Favorite Food
A spicy chicken sandwich
Fun Fact
I love cats, and I’ve had cats my whole life.
