Stories of NF: Tyler W.

“When my son was about 13 years old, he had blurred vision, slurred speech, and a hallucinating episode which I thought may have been a reaction to an allergy medicine. I took him to a local ER and it was there that we found that my son has multiple brain tumors, several brain stem gliomas and hydrocephalus.

“Tyler has had several brain surgeries, years of chemotherapy, multiple MRIs, and most recently, has had an NF tumor excised on his back, which oddly enough was found to have some type of bacterium. This was a difficult time for Tyler and he continues to heal and fight off this infection, the most recent pathology is still pending. Tyler continues to struggle daily with effects of his illness. He has severe developmental delays, vision loss, memory loss, physical pain daily from tumors on his legs, left and right sciatic nerves, and many other issues.

“Tyler, now 23 years old, has persevered through many hard times, while this illness continues to create many obstacles for him. He continues through it all, helping others and helping his community as a member of the local fire department. His constant positivity and strength inspires friends, family, and even strangers. He just keeps going, moving forward and always with a smile that can light up the darkest of days. He really is our strength.

“Tyler is happiest spending times with family and friends, laughing without having all these worries. Tyler is unable to work at this time but hopes sometime in the future he will be able to do something he loves, like woodworking.”

-Tyler’s mom, Cheryl