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Oliver Bromley’s NF Story

08 October 2023

Turning Discrimination into a Mission for Awareness

Many of you may have seen the recent news story about Oliver Bromley, a man living with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), who was asked to leave a restaurant in Camberwell, South London, after staff claimed his appearance was "scaring customers." This deeply upsetting incident highlights the discrimination faced by individuals with visible differences, and here at Nerve Tumours UK, we believe it is essential to bring attention to such unacceptable behavior.

Oliver, who had been receiving treatment at King’s College Hospital for his condition, visited a nearby restaurant for lunch. After briefly stepping out to withdraw cash, as the restaurant was cash-only, he returned only to be told by staff that there had been complaints about his appearance. Shockingly, they asked him to leave before he even had the chance to sit down.

"It was very direct and clear that I wasn’t welcome," Oliver explained. "I had barely been inside, and I was told to leave. Obviously, it was upsetting, but I’m using this experience to raise awareness, not to seek retribution."

"It was very direct and clear that I wasn’t welcome."

– Oliver Bromley

As many of our readers are aware, Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) is a genetic condition that causes benign tumors to develop on nerves, which can lead to visible disfigurements. NF1 affects around 1 in 3,000 people, and although not life-threatening in most cases, the emotional and physical challenges are significant for those living with the condition.

At Nerve Tumours UK, we work tirelessly to support those affected by Neurofibromatosis and to raise awareness of the condition within wider society. While we were deeply saddened by Oliver’s experience, it is unfortunately not an isolated incident. Discrimination like this underscores the need for better education and understanding of visible differences.

We have contacted UKHospitality, the leading trade body for the hospitality sector, to discuss how we can work together to prevent incidents like this from occurring in the future. Our goal is to ensure that hospitality staff are educated about conditions like NF1, so that all customers are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.

UK Hospitality

By representing hundreds of members, UKHospitality empowers the industry by addressing key issues and providing support to over 100,000 venues nationwide. They are dedicated to ensuring that hospitality businesses, big and small, have the tools and represe

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Oliver reported the incident to the police, who classified it as a hate crime. However, no further legal action has been taken. The Equality Act 2010 offers legal protection against discrimination for those with severe disfigurements, yet this incident illustrates the limitations of these protections in day-to-day situations. "People often stare at me, but this was different," Oliver said. "It was direct discrimination, and it shouldn’t happen."

Despite the distressing nature of the event, Oliver has chosen to focus on turning the situation into an opportunity for greater awareness. "I don’t want to punish the restaurant," he said. "It’s about educating people and making sure no one else has to go through this. If they had just asked, I would have been happy to explain my condition."

At Nerve Tumours UK, we continue to advocate for individuals affected by Neurofibromatosis and support them through moments like this. We believe education is the key to preventing such discrimination and building a more inclusive society. Through awareness campaigns and outreach, we aim to ensure that everyone understands that people with visible differences deserve to be treated with kindness and respect, just like anyone else.

National NF Helpline

If you or someone you know has been affected by Oliver Bromley’s story or are living with Neurofibromatosis (NF), please remember that you’re not alone. The Nerve Tumours UK Helpline is here to provide confidential support and answers to any questions you

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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