On May 17, hundreds of landmarks in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia will
“Shine a Light on NF” to raise awareness for rare genetic disorder
NEW YORK – February 1, 2017 – The Children’s Tumor Foundation is pleased to announce that in May, in honor of NF Awareness Month, buildings, bridges, monuments, and landmarks across the globe will show their support in the fight against neurofibromatosis (NF) by lighting up in blue and green, the official colors of NF. NF is a genetic disorder that affects 1 in 3,000 births of all populations, and causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body. It can lead to blindness, deafness, bone abnormalities, disfigurement, learning disabilities, disabling pain, and cancer. There is not yet a cure.
Launched by the Children’s Tumor Foundation in 2014 to increase public knowledge of this critical disease, last year the Shine a Light on NF campaign grew to 146 landmarks around the world, lighting up in recognition of the NF cause. The United Kingdom effort was led by the Neuro Foundation, the leading organization in the UK dedicated to helping people who live with NF.
Once again, the Children’s Tumor Foundation is partnering with NF organizations in 2017 to increase the number of architectural icons that light up, as well as to extend the reach of the NF campaign globally. As of this writing, these partner organizations are participating in the 2017 Shine a Light on NF campaign:
The Children’s Tumor Foundation, United States
The Neuro Foundation, United Kingdom
Children’s Tumour Foundation, Australia
CureNFwithJack, United States
Texas Neurofibromatosis Foundation, United States
Childhood Tumour Trust, England
Manitoba Neurofibromatosis, Canada
Tumour Foundation of British Columbia, Canada
(list in formation)
All NF and other partner organizations are encouraged to join this campaign by contacting the Children’s Tumor Foundation at media@ctf.org.
“Increasing recognition of NF is essential to driving the critical research that will lead to the development of effective treatments benefiting NF patients and their families,” said Annette Bakker, President and Chief Scientific Officer, Children’s Tumor Foundation. “It is thrilling to see landmarks and monuments around the world ‘Shine a Light on NF’ and support this important cause. We’re also thankful that NF organizations worldwide are coming together, united in the fight against NF.”
Shine a Light on NF is just one part of a month-long awareness campaign that is comprised of online and offline events designed to educate the community about this under-recognized genetic disorder. The Children’s Tumor Foundation leads this effort with the “#EndNF” and “I Know a Fighter” initiatives. In addition, events are held in cities across the country and around the world to raise awareness, raise money for research, and connect the NF community.
For more information on the Children’s Tumor Foundation, as well as all the NF Awareness Month campaign initiatives, please visit www.ctf.org/nfawareness.
About Children’s Tumor Foundation
The Children’s Tumor Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding effective treatments for the millions of people worldwide living with neurofibromatosis (NF), a term for three distinct disorders: NF1, NF2, and schwannomatosis. NF causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body and may lead to blindness, deafness, bone abnormalities, disfigurement, learning disabilities, disabling pain, and cancer. NF affects 1 in every 3,000 births across all populations equally. There is no cure yet – but the Children’s Tumor Foundation mission of driving research, expanding knowledge, and advancing care for the NF community fosters our vision of one day ending NF. For more information, please visit www.ctf.org.
