Stepping forward for a worthy cause

Carter Bell, 8, bites into a slice of pizza during lunch at Foxboro Elementary School. The second-grader suffers from neurofibromatosis, and his mother is leading a campaign to find a cure.

Debbie Bell has four telephones, could use a fifth and would probably try to answer her neighbor’s if she could get to it before it stopped ringing. This woman must hear ringtones in her sleep.

The Vacaville mother of three will need a few winks once she survives Saturday. She is organizing the sixth annual NF Steps run/walk at Lagoon Valley Park. Bell has been on the run for months.

The 5- and 10-kilometer runs, 5K and 2-mile walks, Kids Run are Trike-a-thon (ages 4 and younger) are all part of the fundraising event for neurofibromatosis (NF) research. The entry fees are $25 for ages 11 and older and $12 for ages 4-10.

Fleet Feet Sports at 354 Merchant St. in downtown Vacaville will accept entry forms 3-6 p.m. Friday.  Registration on Saturday begins at 7 a.m. at Pena Adobe Park. The 10K begins at 8 a.m. and will be followed by the 5K  and 2-mile walk.

Debbie Bell can often be found sitting in front of her computer and talking on one of her four telephones.

For Bell, the race will not end until a cure for NF is found.

 Her 8-year-old son, Carter, suffers from neurofibromatosis. The second-grade student at Foxboro Elementary School stands a head taller than many of his classmates because the spread of tumors is forcing his body to grow prematurely.

The unpredictable growth of the tumors can cause the loss of hearing and/or vision and seizures. Carter suffers from abdominal migraines and often vomits before leaving home to go to school.

Her son’s plight has become a second full-time job for Bell, who is an orthodontist assistant. She works tirelessly to raise awareness of NF and also provides support to families in the same boat as hers. She speaks from her own experiences in offering advice to them.

“At times, it has consumed me,” Bell said between answering one phone or another.  

 The garage of her family’s home has been turned into her office, but her laptop computer rarely leaves the dining table.  The living room has become a storage area this week for hundreds of NF Steps T-shirts.

Once the shirts are gone and the event has concluded, Bell will finally be able to catch her breath. She has her own health concerns to address after a tumor was recently discovered under her tongue.

“I had to remind myself that I need to find moderation again,” she said. “After this, there will be one weekend a month with no NF. I will turn off the computer and not answer the phone.”

Well, she will not answer the phone once she figures out which one is ringing.