A new perspective
Angela Martin has endured 14 surgeries since she was diagnosed at three.
By Emily Forster | Royal Report
Angela Martin, 18, begged her mom to leave as soon as they walked into Missouri Mouse Antiques. Minutes after entering, Martin suddenly spun in circles, fell, and hit her head on a shelf in the store. Her mom rushed to her side and they scrambled to her mom’s grey car. Martin fell once more before entering the car. An ambulance was called and she was admitted with a surgery scheduled for the following day.
Martin was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis Type I when she was three. Now, she’s 22 and a sophomore at Bethel University. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, Neurofibromatosis is characterized by a change in skin color, and tumors that appear on the nerves, brain and spine. Martin has numerous tumors that line her body which are benign, but could become cancerous at any moment. She has visited the University of Minnesota hospital 13 times this school year.
“It’s been a humongous step to live on campus and go to school full-time,” Martin said. “The professors are very understanding and they actually seem to care when I say I’m in the hospital and won’t be in class.”
“I’ve seen that it’s difficult, but that you can still function. Over time Angela’s been able to see that her illness is good and God has a plan in it.” — Emily Larson, freshman
For an average person, a headache would mean a couple Advil or Tylenol. For Martin, it means a phone call to Dr. Christopher Moertel, a trip to the emergency room, an x-ray and an MRI. She was born with too much fluid in her brain. With numerous tumors, any slight pain comes with significant worry.
“I’ve seen that it’s difficult, but that you can still function,” friend Emily Larson said. “Over time Angela’s been able to see that her illness is good and God has a plan in it.”
After being diagnosed, she attended Camp Fantastic in Virginia. A week long summer camp specific for cancer patients ages 7–17 to play sports, swim, or horseback ride, and receive medical care as needed.
“If you looked different, so what?” Martin said. “Everyone was dealing with treatment too. It was a time for us to forget about the hospital and just be a kid for a week.”
“Angela inspires me because I see that she is a lot stronger than she gives herself credit for.” — Katherine Perry, Hiawatha church member
Hiawatha church in Minneapolis has motivated Martin. Many members have offered transportation to doctor appointments. An anonymous donor paid for her medications by placing money for Martin in the collection basket. Martin met Katherine Perry at Hiawatha church. Perry offers to drive her, talk with her and encourage her in her Christian faith.
“Angela inspires me because I see that she is a lot stronger than she gives herself credit for,” Perry said. “Life has not been easy for Angela in a lot of ways. I think that until the point that I met her, she had a low opinion of herself and her self-worth. Through growing in her faith she saw that she was worth more.”
Martin met Dr. Mortel when she was first diagnosed. His attitude brightens the frequent appointments.
“You can hear his laugh half way across the unit,” Martin said. “There’s Dr. Mortel. He’s around here somewhere!”
Martin’s friends her age are graduating college. She remembers the moment she woke up on life support. Telling her mom she couldn’t feel the entire left side of her body. They feared she could be paralyzed. She wasn’t. But she lost her independence for many months. A previous surgeon made two mistakes that caused these setbacks Martin won’t forget.
“Although I hate what’s happened to me, it’s what made me Angela.” Martin said. “I didn’t always believe that I was sick for a reason. I just hope my being sick will help someone in the future.”
What are the signs and symptoms of NF1?
A doctor looks for two or more of the following:
- six or more light brown spots on the skin (often called “café-au-lait” spots), measuring more than 5 millimeters in diameter in children or more than 15 millimeters across in adolescents and adults
- two or more neurofibromas, or one plexiform neurofibroma (a neurofibroma that involves many nerves)
- freckling in the area of the armpit or the groin
- two or more growths on the iris of the eye (known as Lisch nodules or iris hamartomas)
- a tumor on the optic nerve (called an optic nerve glioma)
- abnormal development of the spine (scoliosis), the temple (sphenoid) bone of the skull, or the tibia (one of the long bones of the shin)
- a parent, sibling, or child with NF1
How likely is one to get NF1?
One in 25,000 people is diagnosed with NF1
