PARENT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Megan Christie’s Journey
in Alexandria with
Neurofibromatosis BY GIANNA GRONOWSKI
has to be one of the best parts. Watching
them persevere through their challenges,
develop their own interests and become more
independent is all I can ask for!
How has raising a child with
NF affected your parenting
choices? The hardest part about raising a child with NF
is that we also have a child WITHOUT NF.

Sometimes it’s almost easier to parent your
medically involved child because their needs
are so much more apparent, but what about
the sibling? I find it hard, at times, to find
those ways to make sure that he feels cared for,
loved and attended to, when all he sees is how
much time and attention his brother gets.

hen Megan Christie found out her son Logan was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis-
Type 1 (NF- 1), a genetic disorder, she was fearful. A Speech-Language Pathologist
(SLP) in Fairfax County, she was no stranger to neurological disorders, but seeing
tumors grow on her then- 2-year-old was scary.

Ten years later, Christie is now an advocate for NF as the NOVA/DC representative for
the Volunteer Leadership Council at the Children’s Tumor Foundation, an organization that
provides education, advocacy, research and patient/family support for NF.

She now resides in Culpeper, Va. with her husband Ryan and her children Parker (13) and
Logan (12) and works as an SLP at Culpeper Health and Rehabilitation, specializing in adults
with acquired cognitive, communication and swallowing deficits.

How do you balance (your
career/job) and family life, and
what makes it easier?
When Logan entered school, we knew he would
need IEP support and I was able to draw on my
special education background to help guide
the conversation and advocate for his needs.

(Then), having extra doctor’s appointments
and weekly chemotherapy, it was clear that
flexibility was the only way to survive. I had to
have open communication with my employers
36 Washington FAMILY OCTOBER 2022
STAY OFF OF GOOGLE! Don’t get me wrong,
the internet can be a fantastic resource if used
correctly. It’s actually the way we discovered
Logan’s diagnosis before the doctors did. That
said, it’s easy to get caught up in the “worst
case scenarios” and most extreme cases I
don’t know what Logan’s NF will look like 5
years from now, 10 years from now, but google
doesn’t know either. All I know is what he
needs now, and that’s all I have to focus on.

What do you hope your child
and adjust my work expectations. None of this (ren) learn from your career?
would have been possible without my husband I hope my children can see that care and
helping to carry the parenting load.

compassion can make a difference. The boys
have been able to visit me at work with our
puppy (hopeful future therapy dog) and see
What do you love about
first-hand the joy that they can bring to people
parenting? My kids always joke that the only reason we in very painful, scary or sad situations. I hope
had kids is so that they could do all the chores! that this will help them develop their sense of
In reality, I always knew I wanted to have kids, compassion for others and to remember that
but couldn’t tell you why. Seeing our children even a small act of kindness can go a long way
grow- physically, mentally, (emotionally), to change someone’s day.

PROVIDED PHOTO
W What’s the best piece of advice
you’ve received?



PARENT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Family Favorites:
Favorite Family Meal
Burgers and fries. Everyone knows I love
the extra crispy fries, so everyone passes
their crispiest fries to me and in turn I
share my pickles with them.

Favorite Way to Recharge
We love to play board games and watch
movies. There is also always a jigsaw
puzzle on the table.

Favorite Family Vacation
We love any time that we can be with
family, whether that’s visiting family in
New Jersey or heading to the beach
in North Carolina. As long as we are
with our families, it doesn’t matter
where we are.

Favorite Place to Visit in Alexandria
Our favorite place/event is the annual
Scottish Walk parade in Old Town.

Bagpipes, Kilts, Dogs and even Santa.

Something for everyone!
Favorite Disability Advocacy Org.

We support the Children’s Tumor
Foundation by fundraising and spreading
awareness. It’s because of the research
and advocacy of CTF that we are
seeing better treatment options for
Neurofibromatosis. Parenting isn’t
easy, but there
are strategies
that can help.

Parenting HelpLine: 800.243.7337
familytreemd.org/flip WashingtonFAMILY.com 37