Paul Abbott
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Shelby Township, Michigan

Paul Abbott was pulled over for speeding – on his bicycle. “ I never got a ticket,” Abbott said. Abbott is an electrical design release engineer with Delphi Corporation. He finds time to also be a chaplain and a member of Macomb Emergency Response Group (MERG).

Abbott started running in 2001 and completed his first marathon in 2004. “Now I run only for our team,” Abbott said. “I have over 25 medals!”

He runs for his son Josiah who has NF1. “I believe that raising funds for research is the way to go; so that a cure can be found for NF as soon as possible,” Abbott said.

Abbott received his Running Coach Certification from the Road Runners Club of America in October of 2008.

Angie Bourne
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Atlanta, GA

Angie has been with the team for five years. She runs in honor of her best friend, Erin Earle, who has NF2. Angie is a production manager with Spanx Inc. When she is not running she enjoys writing and cooking.

Hannah Ehrli
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Florida

Hannah is the Florida CTF Chapter and Affiliate President. She joined the NF Endurance Team because her son, Joseph, suffers with NF. Ehrli runs the Disney World Marathon in Orlando each year. In addition to volunteering for the Children’s Tumor Foundation, Ehrli is a special education teacher in elementary education.

Her husband, Mark, was instrumental in obtaining corporate sponsorship from Planet Hollywood. Planet Hollywood currently pays for the NF Endurance Team pasta dinners where the company has a venue location and we have a team racing.

Kim Fletcher
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
New York

Kim Fletcher runs for her son Gannon who was first diagnosed with NF when he was 6 months old. The Fletcher family has been part of the NF Endurance Team Program since October of 1999. Their first event was the Disney World Marathon in January 2000. Fletcher works with another NF Family, the Velasquez’s to organize their own 10K race, the Race the Lake for Research, in Pillar Point, NY. “Being a part of such an incredible team has kept my husband, Curt and I moving towards funding a cure or treatment for NF,” Fletcher said. “Support, understanding and camaraderie are just an e-mail or phone call away!”

Matt Garvic
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Goldens Bridge, New York

“I will continue to run marathons until we find a cure,” Matt Garvic said. Garvic’s son, Luke, was diagnosed with NF1 at 10 months of age. Garvic has been with the team for four years. He currently works as director of management development at Pfizer Inc. Garvic served in the U.S. Air Force for seven years and is a Gulf War veteran. He refers to himself as a connoisseur of pumpkin beer and exceptional coffee. He and his wife Debbie have two children, Luke and Julia.

Amy Curtiss - Kast
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Hilliard, Ohio

The Cincinatti Flying Pig Marathon makes Amy Curtiss-Kast oink. “My first and favorite and event was the Cincinatti Flying Pig Marathon,” Curtiss-Kast said. Kast and her husband Bill have four children: Cullen, Savannah, Henry, and Lily.

Curtiss-Kast has been involved with the team since 2005. “I run for the NF Endurance Team because it is a positive way for me to cope and it offers incredible support as we deal with our daughters diagnosis of neurofibromatosis,” Curtiss-Kast said.

Originally a Spanish teacher, she currently works part-time as a substitute teacher to keep some order around our house she said. In addition, her hobbies are traveling, baking, and reading.

Chad Leathers
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Atlanta, GA

In 2007 Chad founded the Tumornators, a fundraising team in honor of his younger brother Drew who has Schwannomatosis. The grassroots campaign has raised over $100,000 through fundraisers and donations.

In addition to Leathers’ work with the Tumornators, he owns a small design firm called 70:30. Leathers graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in photography. He loves to cheer on the Dawgs on Saturday afternoons in the fall.

Leathers has spent time in Frankfurt, Germany as European Director of Photography for Action Sports International. He and his brother Drew are proud to both be able to speak German.

Florence McCarthy
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
New Jersey

Before Florence McCarthy completed her first marathon in 2005, she had never run more than six miles, and she had only done that twice. “I decided to run marathons because I wanted to fund raise for NF research,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy’s daughter Aidan has NF1. “Running was the only thing I could do to fight the stress and try to gain some control over my life,” McCarthy said. “NF takes away your sense of control. Every day with NF is like living in a mine field. Running races is empowering.”

McCarthy enjoys meeting adults and kids with NF through team. “I realize I'm running for more then myself, more than my daughter, but for all the daughters, sons, wives, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, and grandparents who have NF,” McCarthy said.

She has also participated in several sprint triathlons on behalf of the team. She hopes to participate in one of the NF cycling events.

One thing McCarthy said that she has learned: one can never underestimate the generosity of strangers.

“Finding a cure for NF is a life-long goal and I'm committed to finding it with the dedicated NF Team,” McCarthy said. “I also believe that the money we raise is being spent on some of the best research and support for NF due to the CTF's Research Advisory Board and the peer-review process.”

John McCarthy
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
New Jersey

John has been involved with the team since 2004 as a volunteer. He ran his first race with the team at the Indy Mini Half Marathon in May 2006. It was a goal he worked for over a year to accomplish.

“At Florence's first race in 2005, I couldn't run the two blocks from the hotel to the race course to cheer her on (smile),” McCarthy said.

Florence and John have two daughters, Aidan and Alexandra. When Aidan was 4-months old her pediatrician noticed cafe-au-lait spots and referred the McCarthy’s to a neurologist regarding NF. Aidan’s NF diagnosis was confirmed in an MRI around her first birthday.

“Aidan has a couple dozen tumors throughout her body, a couple of which are most worrisome, but are currently stable,” McCarthy said. “She wears a back brace for scoliosis and she sees multiple therapists for her learning disabilities.”

Formerly in the hotel management business, McCarthy is now a director in structured finance at Standard and Poors. He also plays the string bass in the Monmouth Symphony Orchestra in Red Bank, NJ.

Chris McKay
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Temecula, CA

Chris McKay said that although she does not know how it feels to live with NF, she can run miles and miles to spread awareness to help find a cure.

Mckay became involved with the team in 2004 when she heard about Matthew Leibowitz coming to San Diego to complete the last two miles of the Rock N Roll Marathon. Leibowitz suffered from NF1.

“I had a huge desire to meet him, and other people with NF,” McKay said. McKay created Carly's Team in honor of her daughter, Carly, who was diagnosed with NF at the age of 1. “I had no idea of how this simple race, a crazy fast paced weekend, would change our lives forever, for the better. I not only found the best support group, I made lifelong friends and a family that is irreplaceable!”

Mckay works as an assistant and office manager at the office of Dr. Ruiz, E.N.T. McKay enjoys running and encouraging others to run and make a difference. She dedicates each mile of the race she is running to an NF Hero. “As I run their mile I pray for them and all that they endure,” Mckay said. “I start each mile with Carly and save the last mile for our Heroes that have lost their battle.”

Tammy Miskowski
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Chalfont, Pennsylvania

Tammy Miskowski got involved with the team three years ago after her husband who had NF1 passed away from a brain tumor. “My children, Kyle, 19, and Ashley, 14, also have NF1,” Miskowski said. “I firmly believe that every research dollar we raise gets us that much closer to more effective treatments for this disorder. I am doing this because my children’s future, as well as the future of all who suffer with NF, may very well depend on it.”

Miskowski is a pharmaceutical research chemist. She spends her free time reading, camping, hiking, biking and running. She also enjoys photography and scrapbooking. “I love swimming too and I am hoping to do a spring triathlon sometime in the next year or two.”

Denise Ogle
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Anchor Point, Alaska

Denise Ogle has been with the team since 2000. In addition to being a secretary, Ogle is the mother of Leo and Sophie. Ogle runs for Leo who has NF. Her daughter Sophie completed a full marathon cold turkey with no training in 2006 at the age of 12.

Lesley Oslica
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Central Arkansas

Although Lesley Oslica currently lives in Arkansas, she has moved – a lot. 21 times to be exact, but always in the south she said.

Oslica is a full time volunteer for the Children’s Tumor Foundation and serves as the president of the Arkansas CTF Chapter. The Arkansas Chapter held their inaugural Red Carpet for Research Gala in 2008 and have plans to make this an annual tradition.

In addition, she volunteers at her local NF clinic every Monday to visit with families dealing with NF. “My favorite ‘job’ is volunteering with the NF Endurance Team,” Oslica said. “We participate in about five marathon events each year as well as several duathlons and century bike rides. And, my most rewarding ‘job’ is homeschooling our daughter, Katie.”

Oslica has been involved with the team since 2001. “After we learned that our daughter had NF in 2001, I felt alone in my journey with NF,” Oslica said. “No one else around me had heard about NF, and there were many misconceptions about NF and it’s expressions. I joined the team as a way to raise awareness of NF and funds for NF Research.”

She developed a love for running as it helped her deal with life’s challenges. “Now, I can’t say that I run solely to raise awareness and funds for NF; I also run to remain healthy physically and emotionally,” Oslica said.

In addition, she has learned many lessons from meeting so many families affected by NF. Being a part of the team has helped shape her journey. “We meet each other, realize we are not alone, and share our hope for a bright future,” Oslica said. “I love being a part of such an inspiring team with a common goal!”

Candice Patterson
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tampa, Florida

On one particular cycling training ride, Candice Patterson was talking with Steve Kendra through an ear piece when Patterson came upon some deep water on the trail. “I hoisted my bike on my shoulder and was treading through the water when a baby alligator popped up trying to attack a bird,” Patterson said. “I asked Steve to hang on a minute, and ran, still with my bike on my shoulder, to get away from the hungry baby.”

She learned a valuable lesson -- throw rocks in the water before you walk through. “Steve got a kick out of this and said,’Only in Florida.’”

When Patterson is not biking, running, swimming or working as a paramedic, Patterson can be found bellydancing. “Bellydancing is something I do during postoperative recovery and in the off season,” Patterson said. “It keeps my core strong.”

Patterson participates in tri-events for many reasons: to challenge herself, to help prepare and recover from surgeries, to stay strong, to focus her mind and to inspire others.

She has been with the team for two years. “The NF Endurance rocks,” Patterson said. “I have NF and the NF Endurance Team is an asset and motivation to helping find a cure for NF. I want to be a part of that process and meet great folks working towards the same goal along the way.”

Melissa Phillips
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Stamford, CT

Melissa Phillips is a directors and officers insurance underwriter. She enjoys reading, watching movies, planning events and raising two beautiful children. Phillips has been with the team since 2006. Her daughter Gillian has NF1. “I run to raise awareness for NF and do what so many others may not be able to do,” Phillips said. “I will not stop until a cure is found.”

Lisa Quinn
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Pennsylvania

Lisa Quinn joined the team to raise money to help find a cure for her daughter, Meadow who has NF1. Quinn is a social worker and she is also the president of the Pennsylvania CTF Affiliate. Quinn organizes NF support meetings for those touched by NF in the Pennsylvania area. “The support we receive from the NF Endurance Team means so much,” Quinn said. “Meadow and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts. God bless you!”

Jim Schmick
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Auburn, Washington

Jim Schmick runs in support of his daughter Bethany who has NF1. He has been with the team for two years. Schmick works in nonprofit management and enjoys gardening, cycling and hiking.

Bob Skold
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Denver, Colorado

Bob Skold likes to say that he has the best job because he gets to run for a living. A NF Endurance Team staff member, he has been associated with the team since the 2000 San Diego R'n'R Marathon. He runs on behalf of the NF cause and for the sense of team community. “It is serious fun on the run,” Skold said. Skold has NF2 and is almost completely deaf. He hopes to soon be able to sign fluently.

Julia Szulerowski
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Kiama, Australia

Julia Szulerowski was a personal trainer and indoor cycling instructor before she left the United States for Australia. “I started running in 2000,” Szulerowski said. “I found that it helped to relieve depression and when I then found the NNFF Marathon Team (as it was called back then). I found it was something I could do to help raise funds and awareness for NF.

After her first pasta dinner in San Diego in 2001 Szulerowski was hooked. “It was so comforting to meet others who knew and understood what it was like to have NF or a child with NF,” Szulerowski said. “I dealt with both, and despite a supportive husband always felt on my own.”

She likes to swap running for cycling and hiking and she is looking into kayaking soon as well. “When I’m not out there exercising, I enjoy good red wine…movies, books and music,” Szulerowski said.