Helpline 07939 046 030
Freephone 0300 102 17 22*

Mario's NF2 Story

Donate

05 August 2024

Pedal for Progress


My name is Mario. I am 17 years old and currently studying for my A-levels. When my dad, Albert-Guifré, was 20, he was diagnosed with NF2, a condition he inherited from his mother. My sister Gisela and my uncle Oriol also share this condition.

“My sister Gisela, my grandmother ‘iaia Mercè’ and myself.”

Last November, my dad sadly passed away from NF2. My dad was under the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and had been in contact with NTUK over the years. In his memory, we decided to cycle across the Pyrenees to raise funds for Nerve Tumours UK.

“I am dedicated in supporting Nerve Tumours UK, an inspiring charity aiming to support and improve the lives of those affected by Neurofibromatosis."

Whilst I am struggling with the death of my dad, the deterioration of my dad's health over the years as a consequence of the symptoms caused by NF2 has left a much bigger mark on me. Since my dad was already deaf when I was born, and shortly after his ability to walk was impaired, communicating with him as a young child was confusing. My dad told me that when I was three years old I made a walking stick out of paper to try and help him walk; although he pretended that it worked, the flimsy paper wasn’t able to support much weight.

I communicated with my dad mainly using finger spelling since neither of us knew sign language. Although this worked, conveying longer sentences took a while and we ended up coming up with signs to say words that we often used even though they were not the official signs. 

The impact that NF2 has had on my family is hard for me to contemplate. The constant challenge and fear of your loved ones’ condition deteriorating is draining. The effect on my family when my dad became deaf was significant and eventually when I was six my parents divorced, and my dad ended up moving out and living alone. 

The pain I felt every week when I visited my dad and saw him alone, each week slightly frailer, is difficult to explain. I felt he lacked support, as if he had been forgotten and that other than my sister and myself, he was by himself. As we grew up and his condition deteriorated, my sister and I ended up helping my dad more and more each time we visited him, like cooking him lunch or dinner.

"My dad cherished going out and spending time with my sister and myself no matter how much of a struggle it was.”

This shift in our relationship is something that I continue to think about. When I was six and my sister was eight, my dad would watch over us and show me how to use his tools in the garage, whereas last year I would take him to the city centre to get lunch, I would help him through the airport to travel to Barcelona, or would cook dinner for him.

“One of the things my dad most enjoyed was teaching us how to use ‘everyday’ things.”

One thing I will never forget about my dad was his optimism and drive. He never complained or pitied himself. He made the most of what he could do, was grateful for what he had, and was proud of his achievements. My uncle Oriol shares this same spirit.

“Optimism and drive are two of the things my uncle Oriol shares with my dad.”

One of the most upsetting parts of seeing my dad’s symptoms develop was the lack of day-to-day support he had. This is why I am dedicated to supporting Nerve Tumours UK, an inspiring charity that aims to improve the lives of those affected by Neurofibromatosis. They provide a helpline, support, advice, facilitate and promote research, and act as the authoritative voice of NF in the UK.

In December, I came up with the idea of cycling a large distance to fundraise for the charity. With the support of my uncle Jeremy Bogush and my cousin Harvey Bogush, we decided to cycle from Toulouse to Barcelona via Portbou—a 500 km route across the Pyrenees. We have just completed this journey and are so chuffed with the support we’ve received on our fundraising page. Thanks to everyone’s incredible generosity, we have raised a significant amount for Nerve Tumours UK.

The cycle was an amazing experience and we all enjoyed some truly incredible moments. Some notable ones were hitting the French coast on day 3, the incredible views over the Pyrenees mountains, crossing the country border into Portbou, and of course reaching the finish point of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona – where everyone was waiting to congratulate us!

Our story so far has been an absolute success which will continue with next year with another cycle with more people participating to continue to raise awareness of NF!

Keep up with Mario's Story

Mario's JustGiving Page

Donate

Masterclasses in NF: Constitutional Mismatch Repair Deficiency Syndrome as Differential Diagnosis to NF1/Legius Syndrome - Prof. Dr. Katharina Wimmer

Constitutional Mismatch Repair Deficiency Syndrome as Differential Diagnosis to NF1/Legius Syndrome

Prof. Dr. Katharina Wimmer, Medical University of Innsbruck

Masterclasses in NF: Rare NF1-Associated Tumors in Adults - Eric Legius & Prof. Ellen Denayer

Masterclasses in NF: Rare NF1-Associated Tumors in Adults

Eric Legius, MD, PhD, University Hospital Leuven

Prof. Ellen Denayer, University Hospital Leuven

Masterclasses in NF: Optimising Hearing Outcomes in NF2-Related Schwannomatosis - Simon Freeman

Masterclasses in NF: Optimising Hearing Outcomes in NF2-Related Schwannomatosis

Simon Freeman, MPhil FRCS, Manchester Royal Infirmary and Salford Royal Hospital

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Dermatological Manifestations - Pierre Wolkenstein, Laura Fertitta & Sirkku Peltonen

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Dermatological Manifestations

Pierre Wolkenstein, MD, PhD, Hopital Henri-Mondor, Paris, France

Laura Fertitta, MD, Hôpital Universitaire Henri Mondor

Sirkku Peltonen, MD, PhD, University of Gothenberg, Sweden

Masterclasses in NF: Breast Cancer in NF1 - Gareth Evans

Masterclasses in NF: Breast Cancer in NF1

Gareth Evans, MD, University of Manchester, UK

Masterclasses in NF: Pain in Non-NF2-Related Schwannomatosis - David Pang

Masterclasses in NF: Pain in Non-NF2-Related Schwannomatosis

David Pang, MD, ChB. Guys and St Thomas' Hospital NHS Trust, London

Masterclasses in NF: Distinguishing Non-NF2-Related from NF2-Related Schwannomatosis - Clinical and Genetic Approaches - Said Farschtschi

Masterclasses in NF: Distinguishing Non-NF2-Related from NF2-Related Schwannomatosis - Clinical and Genetic Approaches

Said Farschtschi, MD, University Medical Center, Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis - Eric Legius & Prof. Ellen Denayer

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis

Eric Legius, MD, PHD, University Hospital of Leuven, Belgium

Prof. Ellen Denayer, University Hospital of Leuven, Belgium

NF2 Working Together: from a tentative diagnosis and beyond

Understanding the impact that a tentative diagnosis has on a parent. Information and access to the existing NTUK and Specialist Nerve Tumours medical and non medical care network.

NF1 Working Together Part 2: from a tentative diagnosis and beyond

Understanding the impact that a tentative diagnosis has on a parent. Information and access to the existing NTUK and Specialist Nerve Tumours medical and non medical care network.

NF1 Working Together Part 1: from a tentative diagnosis and beyond

Understanding  the impact that a tentative diagnosis has on a parent. Information and access to the existing NTUK and Specialist Nerve Tumours medical and non medical care network.

Masterclasses in NF: Surgery in NF2 - Michel Kalamarides & Andrew King

Masterclasses in NF: Surgery in NF2

Michel Kalamarides, MD, PhD, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France

Prof Andrew King, MBBS FRCS FRCS(SN), Salford Royal Hospital, Manchester, United Kingdom. Member of the MAB of Nerve Tumours UK

Masterclasses in NF: Cognition and Behaviour in NF1: Phenotype and Treatment Approaches - Shruti Garg, Andre Rietman

Masterclasses in NF: Cognition and Behaviour in NF1: Phenotype and Treatment Approaches

Dr Shruti Garg, MBBS, MRCPsych, MMedSci, PhD, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, United Kingdom. Member of the MAB of Nerve Tumours UK

Andre Rietman, PhD, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Masterclasses in NF: Emotional Challenges in NF1, NF2 and Schwannomatosis - Susie Henley, Thomas Pletschko & Verena Rosenmayr

Masterclasses in NF: Emotional Challenges in NF1, NF2 and Schwannomatosis

Susie Henley, DClinPsy, PhD, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London UK

Thomas Pletschko, PhD, Medical University of Vienna, Austria

Verena Rosenmayr, Clinical Psychologist, Medical University of Vienna, Austria

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Pediatric Management - Rianne Oostenbrink

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Pediatric Management

Rianne Oostenbrink, MD, PhD, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Masterclasses in NF: Associated Glioma in Children - the Optic Pathway and Beyond - Amedeo Azizi

Masterclasses in NF: Associated Glioma in Children - the Optic Pathway and Beyond

Amedeo Azizi, MD, PhD, Head of the Paediatric Neurofibromatosis Program and Paediatric Neuro-Oncology Program, Medical University of Vienna, Austria

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Orthopedic Manifestations - Eric Legius and Christophe Glorion

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Orthopedic Manifestations

Eric Legius, MD, PhD. Head of Clinical Genetics Department of the University Hospital Leuven, Belgium

Christophe Glorion, MD, PhD, Department of Paediatric Orthopedic and Traumatologic Surgery, Hopital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France. 

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumours - Rosalie Ferner and Viktor-Felix Mautner

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumours

Prof Rosalie Ferner, Consultant Neurologist and Lead Clinician for Neurofibromatosis, Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London. Member of the MAB of Nerve Tumours UK and Trustee of Nerve Tumours UK

Viktor-Felix Mautner, MD, PhD. University Medical Centre in Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. Head of NF Outpatient Department

Masterclasses in NF - Neurofibromatosis Type 1: Cutaneous Neurofibromas - Pierre Wolkenstein and Sirkku Peltonen

Masterclasses in NF - Neurofibromatosis Type 1: Cutaneous Neurofibromas

Pierre Wolkenstein, MD, PhD. Hopital Henri-Mondor, Paris, France. Head of the Department of Dermatology

Sirkku Peltonen MD, PhD. University of Gothenberg, Sweden. Professor of Dermatology

INFER (International NF Educational Resources) is a series of online educational lectures for medical professionals by leading neurofibromatosis experts. The Masterclasses take place online approximately once a month, each on a different topic, and include real-time interaction between the expert presenter and the participants. The presentations are conducted in English, with real-time audio interpretation available in 6 additional languages: French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. A recording of each INFER masterclass is then be made available online in each language for those who could not attend an event. INFER is an initiative of Children’s Tumor Foundation Europe, supported by an educational grant from AstraZeneca. https://ctfeurope.org/research/masterclasses-in-nf

BPNA Keynote Lecture - Prof Rosalie Ferner - Neurofibromatosis 1 in the 21st Century

‘Neurofibromatosis 1 in the 21st Century’

Keynote Lecture at the 48th British Paediatric Neurology Association Annual Scientific Meeting on 21st January 2022

Prof Rosalie Ferner, Consultant Neurologist and Lead Clinician for Neurofibromatosis, Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London. Member of the MAB of Nerve Tumours UK and Trustee of Nerve Tumours UK