Idaho Falls

May/June 2017

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48 IDAHO FALLS MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2017 Making a Stand Inside one family's fight against neurofibromatosis STORY AND PHOTOS BY NIKKI SIEGEL With his Toy Story table, rainbow umbrella and brightly colored signs, Andrew Truscott's soda stand looks just like any other kid's roadside stand. But while most kids hope to add a couple of dollars to their allowances, Andrew hopes to find a cure for neurofibromatosis. Andrew is one of four members of his family to have neurofibromatosis, commonly referred to as NF. As of now, NF has no cure. "Right now for just NF, there is no treat- ment," Terha said. "There are things that can occur because of the disorder, like learning disabilities, physical abnormali- ties, tumors; it just kind of depends on what affects the body and what treatment—or Band-Aid—that they can use to help treat those symptoms." NF is a genetic disorder that creates tumors throughout the body. While rela- tively unknown, NF occurs in one in every 3,000 people, according to the Children's Tumor Foundation. Andrew's grandfather, Craig Woolf, was the first in his family to have NF, as the result of a spontaneous genetic mutation. The gene, which has a 50 percent chance of being passed from parent to child, showed in Andrew's mother, Terha, who was diag- nosed at two years old.

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