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“Green! Green! Green!” shouts Michael Zazula Jr., 4, and his father in anticipation for the drop of the flag while they watch the start of a car race.  Both are huge race car enthusiasts and Michael Jr. is the biggest fan of Michael Sr., a professional stock car racer.

Michael is an energetic four year old who is devoted to his Wii console, anything Toy Story, and, naturally, bossing around his older brother Colin. It is safe to say that Michael Jr. is your run-of-the-mill four year old—creative, lively, and sometimes a handful.

But Michael Jr. also faces challenges not typical to your average four year old.  Michael Jr. was diagnosed with NF1 at only four months old.

“It literally happened over night” says Karyn Zazula, Michael’s mother. One day Karyn noticed more than 15 café-au-lait spots on Michael’s body, immediately went to the doctor and received a diagnosis that changed not only Michael’s life, but their family as a whole.

About a month prior to the 2010 NF Forum, doctors alerted the Zazula’s that Michael would have to undergo 15 months of chemotherapy to treat a tumor on his optic nerve to preserve sight in his left eye.

A treatment like this is sure to shake the nerves of any person, let alone a four year old. But Michael Jr. is not scared; rather he embraces what he understands of his situation. “Michael is used to doctors”, says Karyn, “he is aware of what is going on and adapts to the situation… Michael's is very mature”.   

In addition to being a “tough guy” (Michael’s family nickname) through the situation, Michael and his family have been proactive about raising awareness in their Philadelphia community. They are scheduled to host an event, Mummer’s Night for Michael, at the Mummer’s Museum in Philadelphia.

But their fundraising and awareness efforts certainly do not end there. Their local Best Buy hosted a Charity softball game for Michael in late June which raised over $2,000. Deciding one softball game was not enough, Best Buy agreed to host another game this coming September.

Indeed, Michael Jr. and the Zazula family have been through tough times but their commitment to fighting NF and the support from friends, family and community is what makes them stay positive. “Everyone is more than willing to help because Michael’s story is a realistic story” says Michael’s mother as she explains her excitement that Michael Jr. is almost half-way to his $10,000 goal.

Since his diagnosis the Zazula family’s outlook towards NF transformed. Originally, Karyn and Michael Zazula heard neurofibromatosis and thought it was a long, scary word and the wealth of misinformation on the internet shook them to their core. But Karyn and Michael were able to find accurate reliable information from the Foundation and their experiences have shown them that NF needn't define Michael Jr. 

 By watching Michael Jr. grow the Zazula’s are certain he will live a long, fulfilling life, “…the best part about Michael is that he doesn’t let NF get in the way.”

So, what does the future hold for Michael? His mother believes it positively will be something with racing, especially if his father has anything to say about it. But until he is sitting in the driver’s seat, we will have to settle for seeing Michael Jr. shouting “Green! Green! Green!”  with his father and other NF heroes at the Rolex 24 in Daytona in January.

To learn more about Racing4Research's NF Heroes Program click here.