Dallas was born at East Alabama Medical center in Opelika, Ala., and appeared to be a healthy baby boy. Over the first year of life, Dallas thrived and grew, until one day while drinking from his bottle he began to project vomit.

His mom, Sharon, could tell he had ingested some of the vomit in his lungs. He had difficulty breathing. His breaths were raspy and difficult.  Sharon and her husband, Garrett, took Dallas to the doctor. After various tests, the doctors placed Dallas on medication for reflux.

However, Dallas began to regress. “I started to notice spots on him….more like birth marks, lots of them,” said Sharon. “At first I thought he was getting into something, and I kept trying to wash them off.” 

The spots did not wash off.  Dallas was diagnosed with NF at age 2. NF has affected Dallas’s walking, speech and developmental skills. He also has scoliosis. Dallas wears leg braces and a back brace every day. The braces are hard and uncomfortable, but he can still walk with the assistance of a wheelchair. When Dallas gets tired he retires to a wheelchair.

Dallas is a honors student at Tuskegee Public Elementary School, in Tuskegee, Ala. Dallas loves to play baseball with his East Alabama Miracle League team, the Dodgers. Dallas is also a member of Jubilee Christian Fellowship International. Dallas has three older brothers, two older sisters and a puppy named Mimi.