Charities-As a family, they collect and accept can tabs at their home
all year round. The tabs are recycled at a local salvage yard for cash.
This cash is deposited in an account and dispersed yearly to
children's medical causes and charitable foundations including, but
not limited to:
-Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
-Make-A-Wish
-Children's Tumor Foundation (formerly the National
Neurofibromatosis Foundation)
-Children's Specialized Hospital in Toms River, NJ
There are other charities to which they would like to contribute,
including the American Cancer Society and Give Kids The World,
a children's resort in Florida which caters to the needs of
Make-A-Wish recipients. In short, they want to help as many ill children
and their families as they can. However, a lot of that depends on
the publicity, support (and the tabs...let's not forget the tabs!!)
they receive from the public.
Rest assured, this is not a temporary project. The Griggs family will never
be able to say thank you enough to everyone who has helped them
out. However, this is a step in the right direction. This is the silver lining
they have found in the black cloud that is NF and they are very grateful
to anyone and everyone who is willing to go out of their way to help
them in their efforts.
These are just a few of the many charities that we donate to. To
learn more click on a charity.

Allison's Story-Allison's Story
Allison Dales Griggs was born on August 8, 1999. She was a healthy,
full-term baby and a joy to her parents, Dave and Jennifer, and her
5-year-old big brother, Matthew Clark. After a medically unremarkable
first year, the family was optimistic about their future. At her
15-month check-up, her pediatrician, Dr. Maria Collado, noted as many
as 8 light brown spots, known as cafe-au-lait spots, on her body and
legs. Also, there was significant freckling in her groin and armpit
regions. Concerned, but not wanting to alarm, Dr. Collado referred
Allison to a local neurologist. Upon, his initial examination, he gave Allison
a preliminary diagnosis of Neurofibromatosis Type 1, or NF1.

How It All Started
Our neurologist scheduled Allison for her first MRI scan to check for
any hidden fibrous tumors in her body or brain. This scan in February
2001 showed a small tumor on her left optic nerve, called an optic
glioma. Gilomas occur in less than 20% of all NF1 cases. Since, at the
time, her vision did not seem to be affected, a follow-up exam was
not scheduled until July. Life continued on as normally as possible for
the Griggs family through the spring and into the summer, all the
while watching Allison for any and all changes. The MRI date approached in late July and all seemed to go well. The very next day the family received the devastating news from the neurologist. In the relatively short four-month period, the glioma on her left optic nerve had doubled in size and there was now a new glioma growing on the right optic nerve. The doctor had never dealt with a case where gliomas had grown so much so rapidly. Due to the seriousness of her condition, the doctor had made the necessary arrangement for Allison to be evaluated and begin treatment at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. by the middle of August, Allison began a regimen of outpatient chemotherapy treatments once a week that would be administered over the course of 4 to 5 hours with follow-up MRI's scheduled every three months. In addition, an Iv port about the size of a watch battery was surgically implanted into her chest to allow for the numerous injections of medications and sedatives she would receive. Allison had just turned two years old.

The Bad With The Good
Over the course of chemotherapy, there were several difficulties that came as a result of her treatments, including hair thinning, nausea, loss of appetite, weakness, fatigue and suppressed immunity to communicable diseases. In addition, because of the risk of bacterial infections in the IV port, any fever above 101.0 F had to be evaluated at CHOP for a period of 24 hours. At one point her chemotherapy was stopped due to an acquired intolerance to the medicine, carboplatin, one of her main chemotherapy medications. Allison had an acute bronchial reaction and severe facial swelling. Later, the treatments would continue with the addition of a 90-minute pre-treatment plan to desensitize her to the carboplatin to prevent further reactions. For all the heartache and difficulties allison and her family endured, it can not be ignored that the phenomenal staff of doctors, nurses, medical assistants and non-medical personnel at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia became like a second family to them. Their dedication to Allison's well-being was paralleled only by their kindness and compassion to the family's situation. This was true not only for them but for all the other oncology families that visit CHOP on a regular basis. For this, the staff at Children's Hospital should be admired and respected. After nearly three long years, Allison was released from treatment. The medications she received never decreased the size of the tumors, only stopped them from growing, a chance they were advised of at the onset treatment. The Griggs family continues to have Allison evaluated at CHOP for MRI scans and vision screenings by pediatric ophthalmologist, Dr. Grant Liu. Recently, her neurooncologist, Dr. Jean Belasco, has reported small changes in her optic gliomas but has not yet suggested a new course of treatment.

Rays of Sunshine
During her treatment, a social worker with Children's Hospital, Brett Kramer, asked if Allison would be interested in receiving a "wish" from Make-A-Wish Foundation. This foundation is responsible for granting "wishes" like gifts, trips and special guest visitors (sometimes celebrities) for seriously- and terminally-ill children. Everyone agreed that she definitely deserved a wish! Her wish was to visit the Princesses in Disney World in Orlando, Florida. When she finished her treatments, the trip was scheduled for November 2004. Allison and her family were blessed with round-trip transportation courtesy of Amtrak (Mom won't fly) and a 7-day 6-night stay in the Wilderness Lodge, complete with park hopper passes for all the Disney theme parks as well as paid admission to Universal Studios and Sea World. It was truly a wonderful gift. During and following her chemotherapy treatment, Allison had developed peripheral neuropathy, a temporary condition where the outer extremities (arms/hands, legs/feet) grow weaker and can lose their reflexes. This was brought on by another medicine in her regimen, vincristine. To aid in her recovery, she was scheduled for weekly outpatient physical and occupational therapy at Children's Specialized Hospital in Toms River, New Jersey. Here she grew and flourished and was ultimately released from all therapies there by January 2006, thanks to all their wonderful and talented therapists.

Allison Today
Today, Allison is an active and happy girl who enjoys school, dance classes, coloring and playing with her friends. Although neither her parents nor her doctors can predict what direction her condition will take her, the Griggs family are determined to do everything in their power to show their gratitude and, if possible, give back more so that others may benefit.