30 families, 30 days of giving. B Kind for the Holidays 2022 assisted 30 families with gift cards to make their holidays brighter.
Meet Ryan. “Because of all the disabilities I have because of NF, it makes it difficult to work and make money. This gift will provide me with the opportunity to buy gifts for the holidays for my family and friends… and, maybe a little something for myself! Thank you to B’s family and the B The Difference foundation for making a difference in the lives of those struggling with NF! You are truly B-ing the Good!”
Meet Angel. “When I was little I used to have a huge passion for dance. During my 6th grade year of school, I kept having severe back pains, so I went to Johns Hopkins NF Clinic and after an MRI, I found out I had tumors on my spine, which stopped my physical activity, and I couldn’t dance anymore. This gift means a lot to me because it’s my first holiday season without my dad. I’m going to use the gift to buy a memorial for him. My dad passed away from sarcoma on October 7th 2022 .”
Meet Christine. Christine is undergoing brain surgery this month to remove a tumor. “I live in Boston, Massachusetts I was diagnosed with NF1 at birth. My maternal grandmother, my mother, aunt and her daughter had/have NF1. As I started getting more of the cafe au lait spots and the small tumors on my body, I became more self-conscious of my body and how people looked at me even though my case is mild. Before I met my husband, I kept on thinking how someone will love me if I have all the tumors on my body. I remembered walking with my aunt and my mother as they received cruel stares of people my aunt as we walked by. I still sometimes look at my body in the mirror with tears thinking of how I am going to look in a couple years.
Before I had my children, I had requested a referral to the neurology department to discuss the risks and concerns about having children even though I knew the risks of having a child would be 50/50. When my son, Anthony was born in 2017, I had looked at him with pure love and concern of his future since he had over 20 cafe au lait spots and freckling.
He is receiving the best care at Boston Children’s Hospital. I was in complete tears saying to myself that I did to him Nick told me to not blame myself and that we will get through this together. Anthony loves seeing his “brown spots” mommy and I have them together.”
“I am absolutely grateful to have been nominated for this most generous gift in honor of Brandon. For his family to give back to the community of others during the holidays is a benevolent act of kindness and thoughtfulness.”
Meet Joseph. “My son Joseph was born with a tumor in his pelvis area. Shortly after birth he was diagnosed with NF1. By 9 months of age, he lost his bladder function, and a urostomy was created to ease his already affected kidneys. Joseph had multiple surgeries due to NF in the past, and the future seems to be storing more procedures for him. NF causes frequent leg pain, hospital stays, and academic struggles for Joseph, but he is full of life, gentle, giving, and thoughtful. After talking with you guys, I got very emotional. Joseph received great medical care, but this is different. This is fun for him; making him feel special during this fight means the world to me.”
Meet Melissa. She, her mother, and her son all have NF. “I was diagnosed with NF1 at birth. I was born at 30 weeks I was born with an NF tumor behind my right eye that causes my eye to budge out and be enlarged with no vision. I had many reconstructive surgeries to make it look as normal as possible, but by 1998 it was giving me so many problems I had to have my right eye removed and replaced with a prosthetic eye.
This gift means being able to provide gifts for my family. It gets hard as a single parent with a special needs child. It gets hard for me to get my son the extra things he wants as I’m always trying to make sure he has the things he needs. It would be a joy to me to see his face light up on Christmas and for me to get him a new coat as the weather is changing. Thank you all so much for your kindness and love.”
Meet Jaiden, Matthew and Eli. “When we were nominated for this gift I was so thankful and emotional because I was noticed. Being a single parent a lot of the time when things happen, I don’t have any other option but to just shut down any feelings because I need to handle the situation. I don’t get time to process things because I have to be at 100% for everyone else. This gift will allow me to take that time by not having to worry about how I would replace that income. I can use it to help fill in a gap, especially so close to the holidays. We can get what we need for our Thanksgiving meal and just be allowed to be together as a family without any worries or concerns about how one day off affected everything else. It allows us to have a moment we all so desperately need after the last few days of pretty consistent events. I am forever grateful for the incredible gifts we have been given by B The Difference. We are so thankful for the kindness of all those who donate and who give their time to run this amazing foundation.” – Nicole, Jaiden, Matthew and Eli’s mom.
