Children's Tumor Foundation Annual Benefit Gala

The crazy NF world is not always all bad. We have come to look forward to the events that bring us together with others who live in the same chaos that we do. The Annual NYC Benefit Gala is an event that our family has always wanted to attend, however, timing and circumstances have not been on our side in the past. This year, we were very fortunate to be invited to sit at the table of board member, Tracy Galloway and her husband, Mark. Their daughter, McKinnon, has NF2 and this was our first time meeting this beautiful, vibrant girl.

Jesse and Alexa were originally not going to attend either. We had planned, not ideally, to have them situated with movies and pizza at the hotel a few blocks away.  A couple of days before the event, as a group of us were chatting through Facebook message in excited anticipation of the evening, Linda Martin (mother of Kevin, 15-NF1 and VP of the Board of Directors) changed the plan!  She assured us that Jesse and Alexa would be accommodated and could join us for the event. She was kind enough to arrange the details and they sat at her table next to Kevin. They were beside themselves! This was a first charity gala for them, but even more than that, it meant that they would watch their friend, Bailey, as he was installed as the CTF Ambassador!

As we arrived, we had the whole red carpet experience, complete with photographs!

The Galloway Family (Guest, McKinnon-NF2, Mark and Tracy-board member), our lovely host family.

The beautiful NF Moms I am so blessed to have in my life: (L to R) Jill Markland, Elizabeth Burke, Linda Martin (VP of the BOD), Laura Perfetti, me, Anita Gribben, Stacy Costigan, April Anderson

Bailey Gribben kept us all on the edges of our seats over the last eight weeks as he fought off a persistent and aggressive infection requiring multiple surgeries and lengthy hospital stays. Last night, I had the privilege and pleasure of watching him as he assumed his new role as Children's Tumor Foundation Ambassador. His poise, charm and sense of humor while delivering the speech that he wrote reminded me of what a incredible, strong young man he has become. There are great things in store for Bailey And I am honored to be among his friends. Home run, Bailey!

The Gribben family, Tommy, Anita, Shannon and Bailey, have become an extension of our own family.  They are extraordinary people who have been through more than their fair share of trails and tribulations, especially over the last year.  We were very fortunate to have the incredible opportunity of spending this night celebrating them;  their strength and perseverance.

The Gala was a tremendous success, raising over one million dollars for NF research! We had a lovely, emotional evening.  To see all of the photos from the night, please visit this link.