Stephen Ball

"I inherited NF1 from my mom. I don't remember when exactly I was diagnosed, but I have multiple cafe-au-lait spots. As a child I had several neurofibromas. In my early twenties the neurofibromas began multiplying at an excessive rate. Today I have 1,000s on my body in all different sizes. Last June I was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma spot on my scalp. When the surgeon removed it, pathology came back that all borders including depth were positive for desmoplastic melanoma. This prompted a routine pet scan. The pet scan and following MRI revealed a large primary tumor with an additional 4 likely metastasized tumors. They were suspect for GIST. Locally we were having a hard time finding a surgeon who was willing to biopsy the stomach tumors.

We found both of the specialists at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston TX and we live in North Carolina."

B Kind provided Stephen medical assistance to pay for appointments and procedures that were not covered by his insurance.