Between classes and extracurriculars at San Jose State, Carly McKay is preparing for the Rock n Roll Half Marathon on June 4 with a handful of classmates she recruited to join the race. This is the second year she is running on the NF Endurance Team in her hometown of San Diego– joining a family tradition since she was four years old.
NF (Neurofibromatosis) is a group of genetic conditions that cause tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body. McKay was diagnosed at age three when tumors began growing on her optic nerves. She received chemotherapy at Rady Children’s Hospital for a few years until the tumors shrank and is still monitored to this day to ensure the tumors do not return.
Her mom, stepdad and brother ran for many years on the NF Endurance Team to raise funds for research to eliminate the condition – something that has resulted in advances in treatment since McKay went through chemotherapy.
“There’s been a lot more research and development since I was first diagnosed,” McKay said.
The NF Endurance team is a national effort that allows supporters to join endurance events and raise funds for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. The foundation played a significant role in McKay’s life growing up. It connected her to other people with the same condition which helped her find people facing similar issues and normalized her experience.
“Without them, I probably would have never met anyone else with NF since it was so rare,” she said.
With the run, she is giving back to the community that shaped her. By raising awareness, she hopes other families who receive such a diagnosis will be less scared.
The run also comes at a significant time in her own life. McKay is graduating with her teaching credential December. As a student, she struggled with a learning disability as the result of NF and now wants to help other children with disabilities.
“It’s part of who I am, but doesn’t define what I’m capable of,” McKay said of NF.
Through the Children’s Tumor Foundation, she connected with other NF patients and has been inspired by their stories. After overcoming her own struggles in school and giving back to the community through her fundraising runs, McKay has an inspiring story of her own.
