XFEOS Fundraiser Benefitting NF

In Honor of Gillian Anderson's Birthday

The XFEOS Fundraiser Benefitting NF is closed. Run by XFEOS: The X-Files Episode Opinion Survey, the fundraiser was open to everyone. This being the first time that I have ever organized something of this nature and the short time frame for the donations, I expected a somewhat low turnout. I thought that we would raise at least $150, and I hoped for $200. However, my guess was wrong. The final tally is fantastic for the first time around.

The XFEOS Fundraiser Benefitting NF raised a total of......$305.13!
All of the donations have been sent to Rosemary Anderson at the NF Support Group of West Michigan, where it will be put to good use. The following is a thank you message, which I was asked to post by Mrs. Anderson, to everyone who made donations.

From Rosemary Anderson
President
Neurofibromatosis Support Group of West Michigan

To Kris, Nicole, Ryan, Elizabeth, Megan, Bernadette, Paul, Lauren, Masarath, Diane, Rebecca, Ann, Anne, Heather, Nicole, Jana, Karen and Anonymous:

Dear friends of Gillian,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity in honoring Gillian on her 30th birthday with donations to the NF Support Group. As most of you know, this is a cause dear to her heart and to mine. I guarantee you these funds will directly benefit the neurofibromatosis community in West Michigan.

NF is not a rare disorder (1 in 3,500), but surprisingly few people are familiar with it. Anyone interested in learning more should check out the website at www. nfinc.org.

Once again, my thanks. You're the greatest.

Sincerely,

Rosemary Anderson

Now it is time for my many thanks. First of all, I want to thank Gillian for giving us a reason to help this worthy cause. (It's not like she'll read this, but it's just the principle.) In addition, thanks to all XFEOS members for their patience while I have been working on the fundraiser.

The XFEOS Fundraiser Benefitting NF would not have been successful had it not been for the following people who made donations:

Kris Nicole Bres
Nicole Caggiano
Ryan Christie
Elizabeth Curseen
Megan Eckles
Bernadette Fagarang
Paul Ferrara
Lauren Gantz
Masarath Ghiasuddin
Diane Goodboe
Rebecca Kabat
Ann Kuykendall
Anne Meyer
Heather Nelson
Nicole Pusateri
Jana Swanson
Karen Valadez
And whoever made that Anonymous donation

You are all truly amazing and caring individuals. Be proud of yourselves for helping others in need.

Everyone who made donations will be receiving thank you letters from me via snail mail.

This fundraiser is in honor of Gillian Anderson's 30th birthday on August 9. Because of this occasion, Gillian will no doubt be receiving many, many birthday cards from devoted fans. I wanted to do something different, something that will actually be noticed and will make a difference. This something is making a donation to Neurofibromatosis (NF) in her name. Gillian has stated that she would rather have fans make a donation to a worthy cause, than to send cards. This way, you show your devotion to her while making a difference in her life and in society as a whole.

While this is an XFEOS fundraiser to benefit NF, you did not have to be in XFEOS to make a donation. I collected donations from others, both members and non, and sent in all of the money raised together. In the letter that I wrote to accompany the donation, I included all of the donators' names and addresses. The money was donated to The NF Support Group of West Michigan.

Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow along various types of nerves and can affect the development of other tissues such as bones and skin. NF can strike any family and there is no known cure. There are two genetically distinct forms, the most common of which strikes approximately 1 in every 4,000 individuals.

NF can cause hearing loss, vision impairment, seizures, bone deformities, learning disabilities, and cancer. NF can affect nerves throughout the entire body, and may also cause tumors to develop in the brain on cranial nerves or on the spinal cord. NF affects more than 100,000 Americans making it more prevalent than Cystic Fibrosis, hereditary Muscular Dystrophy, Huntington's Disease and Tay Sachs combined. 50% of people with NF inherited the disorder from a parent while the other half have no family history and represent new mutations. Research into NF began only twelve years ago by The National Neurofibromatosis Foundation, Inc. (NNFF) and Neurofibromatosis, Inc., is still relatively new. There have been many promising results. In the last five years, researchers have been able to discover the two genes causing NF and the gene products encoded by the genes, but there still is not a cure. Gillian Anderson's younger brother was born with the disorder. She has devoted much of her time and money to promote awareness of NF and to further the research into its causes and treatment.

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