Getting NAKED for Charity!

My cousin Caro and me talking about Cupid's Undie Run. Hope you enjoy watching our video as much as we enjoyed making it!!

Cupid's Undie Run (Part 1)

Next Saturday the 13th of February I will be participating in the second annual St. Petersburg Cupid's Undie Run. I will be running in my undies for a worthy cause. The donations will go towards research to help find a cure for NF.
Now to some being in their teeny-tines is no big deal. But when your body is being taken over by fibromas it is very different. As I have shared in Fibromas and Showing Skin it has become a challenge for me to feel comfortable in a bathing suit. I was not always so self -conscious but unfortunately the more fibromas I see, the less I want to show off my body. Of course, Joe tells me that I am beautiful and that I don't have more fibromas. Maybe he is right, and I do not have more fibromas, and it is all in my head. Or maybe I do have more. Maybe he just does not see them because he does not focus on them like I do.
Still, I will be in my teeny-tines on Saturday the 13th of February. 
I am even more excited because I have a team!!! I will be joined by an amazing group of gals and gents!! I am pleased and thankful for my very brave teammates. Angela's Cherubs is composed of two other gorgeous women that also have NF. One of them being my mom. The rest of the team is comprised of the great people that will not hesitate to fight off bullies.
If you have not joined Angela's Cherubs or donated you still can!!! Remember, this is a great cause!! We all want a world free of NF!! 


I will write post- cupid's Run post after the race. =) 

ANGELA'S CHERUBS   thank you for your gracious donations!! 

Just a Working Class Girl with NF

Two months after graduating college, I was hired as an intervention specialist for the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. In March, I will celebrate my two year anniversary. Although stressful and emotionally draining, I can honestly say that I love my job!!! I say this with complete and utter honesty.
I worked in retail for six years in two major stores prior to having this job. These jobs taught me how to have patience with both coworkers and customers. I learned to bite my tongue and to tolerate those that live in blissful ignorance. These two jobs made me realize just how strong I really am. I encountered people from all walks of life.

Despite having had customers that made fun of me, stared, pointed and even laughed at my face, it has never deterred me from wanting to work. Not even the time a woman pointed, laughed and said, "You are F***ing ugly."

Neurofibromatosis affects everyone differently. In my case, NF has mostly changed my facial bones and right eye. I was told
by many that I would not be able to find a job unless I wore an eye patch (check out The Patch..... and Eye Patch Part 2  for further reading). I have never worn an eye patch at any of my jobs.

I work because I can. My NF has not stopped or prevented me from obtaining a job. Yes, I see from one eye, have mild dyslexia and have horrible spatial perception. Nonetheless, I am more than willing to go to work each day.
For me, there is no greater gratification than knowing that I earned a paycheck. May it be big or small, I deserved it!

CHECK OUT MY CUPID'S UNDIE  RUN PAGE!! SIGN UP  AND DONATE =)

Beyound NF

Tonight, I find myself thinking about life. Within hours 2016 will arrive and with it new goals and opportunities for growth and development.  I am thinking about everything I have overcome and gone through. I sometimes wonder how I got to this point when so many thought I would not be able to do much in life. I was judged severely by doctors, teachers, and peers. I have been bullied and shunned. I have been treated as an inferior and trampled on.

Despite everything, I have triumphed. But there is still a lot more that needs to be done and accomplished. I still wake-up and wonder how different my life would be if NF were not part of it. Would it be necessarily easier? I will never know the answer. What I do know is that anything and everything I do in life NF will be a significant part of.

There is so much that I have already accomplished that I was told I would not be able to do. But there are still many many things I would like to check-off my bucket list. I want to get married and become a mom. I want to write and publish books. I want to be a voice for those like myself.  I want to travel around the world!

2015 brought many challenges that were not necessarily having anything to do with my neurofibromatosis.  Nonetheless, I am stronger and better prepared for the curve balls of 2016!!!

DON'T FORGET ABOUT MY CUPID'S UNDIE RUN PAGE, DONATE NOW!! 
THANK YOU=) 

Happy Holidays

                 HAPPY HOLIDAYS 

photo by: Andres Velasquez

I cannot believe that 2015 is nearing its end!! What a year has it been! I am so excited to start 2016 because I know that it will bring more amazing opportunities.I feel that this year my blog has reached more lives than ever before.I was also able to meet some of my readers who have honestly given me more reason to keep sharing my story.
My goal for 2016 is to continue sharing my story perseverance and to reach more lives. I hope to one day be able to publish my story, but until then, I will blog!!
I am very proud of myself because as promised I have written at least one post per month. My resolution for 2016 is to write more often than I did in 2015. I promise to share more personal stories like the one I did about suicide. 
I would also like to invite all of you, my readers to contact me if you would like me to share a personal anecdote or have any questions in particular. I am already working on two topics that I have put off since I began writing my blog in 2012.
I wish you all happy holidays and a fantastic closing of 2015 with the best start for 2016!!!

Oh yeah, and join my team for Cupid's Run! You will have a BLAST

I'm fundraising my pants off for @CupidsUndieRun! Make a donation here to help #EndNF

Join the fun and see me run in my undies!! =) Lets do this!! 





I'm fundraising my pants off for @CupidsUndieRun! Make a donation here to help #EndNF

Thoughts of Suicide:My Battle with Neurofibromatosis

Photo by Joseph J. Meier

I was washing dishes. I was angry and crying silently. I purposely broke a glass and held it to my left wrist.
My brothers were in the family room, laughing. Their laughter made me even angrier because I was not able to participate in their joy. I had just turned 18 and felt ugly, alone, worthless, and lost.

I was still upset over the fact that I did not get kissed for my 18th birthday. Almost a month later, I was more furious and empty. I could not understand why I was incapable of sharing the laughter that should have been contagious. Instead, I shunned myself and washed dishes.

I just felt hollow. I was not able to see a day ahead, let alone a future after high school; the Summer seemed endless and pointless. Going into my senior year of high school was absurd. Nothing seemed to go right. I was unknowingly depressed and only sinking more and more into my depression.

I held the glass to my wrist for what seemed like hours, but in reality, it could have been seconds. My mind and body dissociated. I saw myself holding that broken piece of glass with a sharp tip to my wrist. I could not recognize myself. I saw this fragile 18 years old trying to escape the pain of rejection. Somehow, and to this day, I cannot explain how I put the broken glass down and walked away.

I did not open up about my suicidal ideations until years later because I felt ashamed of myself for wanting to die or hurt myself. When I finally told someone in hopes of getting support, he just ridiculed me for not going through with it. Despite everything that I have gone through in my life, I am happy that that day I did not cut my wrist.

I still have bad days. Days I do not want to leave my house, but I always do because I know that that is what I need to do. I cannot shun myself and wash dishes anymore.

If you are feeling suicidal, please call The National Suicide Prevention Line at  1-800-273-8255.