but because one parent has very visible does not mean their child will be. This is a very hot bed and has caused numerous arguments even in our own community.
My former husband could not handle having a disfigured child and left us when my son was 4 months old. I made the decision not to remarry and to not have a child for the very reason you mentioned. I did not want another child called freak or monster baby while at the stroller age and worse during the elementary years.
This explains the genetic aspect better than I am able to.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurofibromatosis
Neurofibromatosis (NF) refers to a number of inherited conditions that are clinically and genetically distinct and carry a high risk of tumor formation, particularly in the brain.[1] Neurofibromatosis is an autosomal dominant disorder, which means only one copy of the affected gene is needed for the disorder to develop. Therefore, if only one parent has neurofibromatosis, his or her children have a 50% chance of developing the condition as well (it is rarely the case that one person has the mutated gene twice, which would imply a 100% chance of their children developing NF). The severity in affected individuals can vary; this may be due to variable expressivity. Approximately half of cases are due to de novo mutations and no other affected family members are seen. It affects males and females equally. In addition, some individuals may have mosaic NF, in which some but not all cells of the body carry the mutation. The neurofibromatoses are as follows:
Neurofibromatosis type I, in which the nerve tissue grows tumors (neurofibromas) that may be benign and may cause serious damage by compressing nerves and other tissues.
Neurofibromatosis type II, in which bilateral acoustic neuromas (tumors of the vestibulocochlear nerve or cranial nerve 8 (CN VIII) also known as schwannoma) develop, often leading to hearing loss.
Schwannomatosis, in which painful schwannomas develop on cranial, spinal and peripheral nerves.
NF2 also cause facial paralysis when surgery is done to try and prevent hearing loss. In the past 5 years three of my friends died because of NF2 and they all were 'disfigured.'
If I am a problem than that is the reader's opinion. DU would not tolerate the same treatment of other groups in our community. That is why I posted. If I am misunderstanding your words I apologize but I will not apologize for speaking up for the facially different.
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