Valentine’s Day is usually about spoiling your significant other with flowers, chocolates, maybe some jewelry or a dinner out at a nice restaurant. My wife and I have a slightly different tradition for Valentine’s Day. Expressing the love for our son that has Neurofibromatosis Type 1… and stripping down to our undies for a good cause!
Our tradition started just after Valentine’s Day in 2011 after we found out that the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) holds a fundraising fun-run each year in February in multiple cities in the United States and now around the world. CTF funds research for the genetic disorder called Neurofibromatosis. It is a disorder that causes tumors to grow anywhere there are nerves in the body, inside and out, and has no cure.
The run is called the “Cupids Undie Run”. It basically boils down to this: We raise funds on our personal donation pages, then we gather (about 1200 people this year), strip down to our undies and run in the freezing cold, and in some cities, a few feet of snow. It is just a small amount of pain and cold that we endure compared to the pain that that those living with Neurofibromatosis endure on a daily bases.
The money that my wife and I would spend on each other, we add to our donations. The Undie Run is so much fun! We ran in our first one in 2012 in Washington, DC. It was fun dressing down and running through the streets of DC and past the US Capitol Building. It is also a great way to network and support other families that have NF family members. Please think of us as we take on this year’s run… we are just hoping these Polar vortex’s stay well away! Brrrr!
For more information about the Children’s Tumor Foundation and Cupid’s Undie Run, please visit www.cupidsundierun.com