NEW YORK, May 17, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Children's
Tumor Foundation is thrilled to announce that in recognition of NF
Awareness Month architectural icons around the world will show
their support in the global fight against neurofibromatosis (NF) by
lighting up in blue and green, the official colors of the NF cause.
NF is a genetic disorder that affects 2.5 million people 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 no cure yet, but this campaign serves to raise awareness
and funding for scientific research into neurofibromatosis.
Internationally recognized landmarks that will Shine a Light on
NF include Niagara Falls, which
straddles Niagara, NY, and
Ontario, Canada, and the Colosseum
in Rome, Italy. In addition to
the United States and Italy, more than 300 buildings, bridges,
monuments, landmarks, and public spaces will light up blue and
green in Austria, Canada, Greece, England, Isle of
Man, Northern Ireland,
Portugal, Scotland, Spain, and Wales. The full list is available at
http://www.ctf.org/shinealight.
Launched by the Children's Tumor Foundation in 2014 to increase
public knowledge of this rare disease, the Shine a Light on NF
campaign has grown substantially over the years. The Children's
Tumor Foundation partners with NF organizations around the world to
expand awareness globally; these organizations include Nerve
Tumours UK (United Kingdom);
Childhood Tumour Trust (England);
NF Kinder (Austria); Tumour
Foundation of British Columbia
(British Columbia, Canada);
Neurofibromatosis Society of Ontario (Ontario,
Canada); ANFQ L'Association de la neurofibromatose du Québec
(Quebec, Canada); NF Patients
United; NF Greece (Greece);
Associacão Portuguesa de Neurofibromatose (Portugal); Asociacion Catalana de les
Neurofibromatosis (Spain); LINFA
Onlus, ANF, and ANANAS (Italy);
Dan and Jennifer Gilbert, Gilbert
Family Foundation, and NF Forward (Detroit, MI); CureNFwithJack (Atlanta, GA); and Springworks (Stamford, CT).
Additionally, thousands of homes around the world are expected
to 'Shine a Light on NF' by changing the lightbulbs on their
porches and entryways to blue and green to bring awareness on a
community level. All this activity can be followed on social media
by use of the hashtag #EndNF and the handle @childrenstumor.
"We are truly inspired by the NF community coming together to
bring NF out from the shadows and literally into the spotlight
through the Shine a Light campaign," said Simon Vukelj, Chief Marketing Officer of the
Children's Tumor Foundation. "We are grateful for all our partners
– both public and private, corporate and nonprofit – who have
joined this effort. And we promise all the NF patients and families
who are raising awareness in their own way in their hometowns today
that we won't stop this campaign until we end NF."
Shine a Light on NF is just one part of a month-long awareness
campaign that is comprised of online activities and community
events designed to educate the public about this under-recognized
disease that affects 1 in 3,000 births.
In addition to its "#EndNF" and "I Know a Fighter" initiatives,
this year the Children's Tumor Foundation is also leading a
movement to "Wear Blue & Green on May Seventeen." By
encouraging everyone to wear blue and green on World NF Awareness
Day, the NF movement will be even more accessible beyond those who
are affected. It's a chance for patients, their families, and
supporters to unite their voices and proclaim that NF is a serious
condition that deserves everyone's attention.
Twenty-one states have issued proclamations declaring May as NF
Awareness Month or May 17 as NF
Awareness Day: Arkansas,
Delaware, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New
Jersey, New York,
North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, South Carolina,
South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia. A list of the 28 cities that have
also issued proclamations can be found online at
http://www.ctf.org/get-involved/proclamations.
A calendar of local Shine a Light NF Walks, NF Endurance events,
and local community fundraisers taking place all across the country
to raise money to fund NF research and recognize the positive
spirit and resolve of local NF Heroes and their families can be
found online at http://www.ctf.org/calendar.
Official merchandise with "I Know a Fighter," "Born a Fighter,"
End NF imagery, and blue and green items are available for purchase
online at ctf.org/store. All purchases support the efforts of the
Children's Tumor Foundation.
The Children's Tumor Foundation is committed to finding
effective treatments for the millions of people worldwide living
with neurofibromatosis. In addition to benefiting those who live
with NF, this research is shedding new light on several forms of
cancer, brain tumors, bone abnormalities, and learning
disabilities, ultimately benefiting the broader community.
Partners can join the growing Shine a Light on NF campaign by
visiting ctf.org/shinealight or contacting the Children's Tumor
Foundation at media(at)ctf.org.
For more information on the Children's Tumor Foundation, as well
as all the NF Awareness Month campaign initiatives, please visit
http://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 http://www.ctf.org.
SOURCE Children's Tumor Foundation