Born in 1956, Joan Hollis was one of four children, all of whom inherited NF making them the 5th generation to have the disorder. As a child in the 1960’s, Joan was always picked on by classmates. Joan’s first marriage resulted in one daughter who does not have NF and two sons who did inherit it. After her divorce in 2001, Joan found the Children’s Tumor Foundation’s chat room and began to interact with other individuals suffering from NF. It was there that she met her current husband, Larry, who also has NF. They married in 2003.

Joan’s entire body is engulfed in tumors. At age 29, Joan lost all of her teeth due to NF (NF weakens the roots). She currently takes neurotin to help with the constant pain. She has had a few surgeries to remove the tumors that were causing problems, but has never had surgery for cosmetic reasons. Joan wears special shoes made with soft inserts as the tumors have spread to both the tops and bottoms of her feet making wearing regular shoes far too painful.

Joan started playing the piano when she was six years old. She abandoned it for many years until her new husband, Larry, encouraged her to take it up again. Joan admits that she may not be Mozart, but she finds it relaxing and it keeps her mind off of her troubles.

Sadly, Joan passed away in 2017 due to NF complications