By ALEX MALM

Just before his first birthday Warwick resident Logan Costa  was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis type 1.

His birthday is May 11 which is Neurofibromatosis  awareness month. His mother Wendy doesn’t think it is a coincidence.

“I strongly firmly believe God sent me Logan to raise awareness,” said Wendy.

On May 13  Wendy will host a fundraiser to help spread awareness for the incurable disease.

According to the Children’s Tumor Foundation one in 3,000 births has NF. NF is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on the nerves. Someone has to be born with NF in order to have it.

Wendy said that Logan’s doctor suspected that he had NF  when he was about six months old long before he was diagnosed. It was a shock for her. She didn’t know what NF was.

Logan’s symptoms include two brain tumors, headaches, Macrocephely, multiple Cafe au lai spots, vertigo, possible loss of hearing in the right ear, short stature, Autism, along with gastrointestinal problems. Logan has already seen over 30 doctors.

“He’s dealing with a lot right now,” said Wendy.

When Logan was 15 months old he had a vocal seizure that lasted for about a minute and a half.

That led to Logan having a brain scan done.

“That's when I found out that Logan has two tumors on the right side of his brain,” said Wendy.

As of now there is no cure for NF. Wendy said that there is a trial med but it can’t be started until he is two-years-old. Wendy said she will have to make a tough decision.

“We just take it day by day and take small steps,” said Wendy.

Despite the obstacles Wendy said that Logan continues to be positive.

“He's a ball of joy, he's awesome,” said Wendy.

Fundraiser

Wendy said she got the idea for the fundraiser from a friend she met from across the pond in England whose 20-year-old son has NF. She told Wendy about mug raffles that she does and Wendy thought it was a good idea as well.

The large mugs will be raffled off for $10 a ticket and the small ones will be $5 a ticket.

Wendy said that the mugs are going to be filled with different things like deodorant, Patriots magnets, a tape measure and other things for the men.  For the women the mugs will include lip gloss and bath bombs among other items.

In addition to coffee and tea, Wendy said they will also have food from Depetrillos, Antionios, Dunkin, finger sandwiches along with other soft drinks.

Wendy said that they are also going to have activities for the kids in attendance.

“There's going to be a ton of stuff at the event,” said Wendy.

Wendy said that this is the first time she is doing a fundraiser and said that her goal is to raise $1,000. All the funds will go towards the Children’s Tumor Foundation.

“I’m not going to stop,” said Wendy.

The event is slated to take place on May 13 from 12 to 5 p.m. The fundraiser will take place at the Knights of Columbus #1738 which is located at 70 Pettaconsett Ave in Cranston.

For those who are interested in donating but can’t make the event can do so by going to join.ctf.org/give/401621/#!/donation/checkout