Candice Patterson has endured 19 surgeries because of NF which has caused tumors on her optic nerves and sinuses. In addition, she has had facial reconstruction and has been temporarily blind. Six weeks after her nineteenth surgery she finished the  Gasparilla Distance Classic by walking the 5K with the support of friends and family. She needed a goal. She needed something to get her out of bed and begin her recovery.

The day after waking from surgery, she walked around the nurses station, making the hospital bed her finish line. It felt like a marathon. She was completely exhausted and the pain seemed unbearable. Each day, with the help of the people around her, she walked a little further. The training began at the nurses station and with trips to the mailbox. With one foot in front of the other, she walked for six weeks, gaining strength, building endurance, and shaping her vision and purpose. She would not let this disorder take one glorious moment of her life away.

She continues to race in triathlon and running events for the NF Endurance Team. She will face more surgeries to treat neurofibromatosis. She realizes she has this disorder but she chooses to fight. She has no choice she says. She finds inspiration from the hundreds of people who do not have this disorder, who do have a choice, and choose to fight along her side -- her new teammates in the fight against NF. They fight for the same things that she does -- to raise awareness and fund a cure.