Archive for May, 2010

In May, 2010 a group of friends and I traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan for the annual River Bank Walk/Run for Neurofibromatosis (NF).  While there, my friend Nadine Baker (far left) and I, along with the rest of our group, had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Reggie Bibbs (shown, center). 

Reggie Bibbs is a highly inspirational man living in Houston, Texas. He was born with neurofibromatosis (NF), a genetic disease which causes him to develop tumors on his body. NF can be a subtle disease, but in Reggie’s case it has left him with a disfigured face. After years of public frustration, he launched a unique one-man campaign to call attention to this disease.

“I have neurofibromatosis. It’s a disorder that causes tumors to grow along my nervous system. In my case, it’s fairly disfiguring. When I would go out in public, people would stare or, worse, walk away. So I came up with an idea for a t-shirt and the rest, as they say, is history,” explained Reggie.

With the help of a friend at a local advertising agency, Reggie Bibbs created a t-shirt that would invite people to come up and talk to him about his disorder. “I figured the more they knew about my disease, the more they would understand me.”

The t-shirt features on the front an abstract outline of Reggie’s face and, on the back, large type that simply says, ’JUST ASK!’  Also included on the back is the url for Reggie’s website, http://reggiebibbs.com.

Today, Reggie is also on MySpace and Facebook and has an online store on his website. He’s been interviewed by Wikiki News, too.

We’re working hard to bring Reggie Bibbs to Mancelona this July for the 3rd annual Ashley’s Ride to raise awareness and money for NF.  We hope you’ll join us!

The 33rd annual River Bank Run/Walk for NF was held May 8, 2010 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.   Despite the cold and wind, our group walked the 5k in 59 minutes. I can’t tell you how inspiring it was to see all  those green NF shirts and people on the side lines cheering us on and asking, “What is NF?”  

This was my 4th year in participating in the Riverbank  Run/Walk and each year it continues to grow!  This year, there were more than 20,000 runners and walkers on the streets of Grand Rapids raising money for NF research. The group represented the largest gathering for this event in its 33 year history.  Crossing the finish line represented the culmination of hard work, determination and the power of human spirit.
 
Later in the day day we went to the Grand Rapids Museum for a night of fun. The girls that went with me got to meet Reggie Bibbs, Jessica Stone, the Hanlon family & Kristin Bradley & Rosemary Anderson to name a few.

This was a truly inspiring evening, with a lot of tears and quite a few laughs.  Thank you to all who went with me this year & I hope to see you again next time!