Tiffany Gonzalez

My struggles the last 11 years since NF really took over my life have been hard. I've lost the ability to be fully independent. I don't drive for long periods, and I cannot drive at night. My balance is different from day to day and sometimes I can My hands have extreme atrophy so sometimes it's hard to open jars, use a can opener, cut an onion and even open a bag of chips. My anxiety is always on edge due to stress of my health. I cannot hold a full-time job due to my balance issues; I can't walk into the grocery store to grab 1 item without a cart. I bump into my bathroom wall at night even though I have motion detector lights on to help guide me. The fact that I can't work, and I receive disability definitely puts a limit on our income since I can't fully help with extra expenses for our family. I lost my hearing 10 years ago after a brain/acoustic neuroma surgery on the right ear. I ended up losing hearing 3 weeks into recovery. I have constant tinnitus and it drives me insane with how loud it can get.

B Kind provided medical assistance with past surgeries and appointments, and grocery assistance to help Tiffany's family get back on their feet. Our older 2 kids also have nf2. They have unfortunately been through some of the same surgeries at such young ages I have experienced as well. Spine surgeries, acoustic Neuromas, Nerve re-graphs, that's just to list of a few. Right now, they are both stable with the growths of their tumors. But life has shown us through experiences how quickly that can change. My body aches, my gut feels sick every time I have to tell my kids no due to our financial situation.