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!