Brandon Merritt Charitable Foundation Inc

The Brandon Merritt Charitable Foundation d/b/a B the Difference is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed to provide support to individuals and their families battling Neurofibromatosis (NF). B theDifference was founded in October 2011 by sisters Stephanie Merritt Johnson and Jessica Merritt Roberts to honor the memory of their brother, Brandon, who passed away in February 2011 due to NF.  

Neurofibromatoses are a group of genetic disorders that cause tumors to form on nerve tissue. These tumors can develop anywhere in the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. NF can occur both spontaneously or genetically and affects 1 in 2,500 births. 

It is more prevalent than Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy, & Huntington’s Disease combined. NF is worldwide, affects both sexes equally, and has no particular racial, geographic, or ethnic distribution. It can lead to disfigurement, blindness, skeletal abnormalities, dermal, brain, and spine tumors, loss of limbs, severe balance problems, learning disabilities, deafness, and intense pain.