The Children's Tumor Foundation
11/02/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/03/2026 13:23
Meet Our 2027 National Ambassador: Aaron Baum
The Children's Tumor Foundation (CTF) is proud to name Aaron Baum as its 2027 National Ambassador.
A man wearing glasses and a dark blue T-shirt that reads "BORN A FIGHTER" with his hands on his hips.Aaron, 39, was born and raised in San Francisco and has lived with NF1 his entire life. Today, he works in orthotics and prosthetics, a career that brings together his longtime interest in the human body, his commitment to helping others, and experiences he never expected to have himself. He has also become increasingly involved with the NF community through the NF Summit, CTF Engage, and CTF's Junior Board.
Growing Up with NF
Aaron was diagnosed with NF1 at six months old, so there was never really a life "before NF." But he says he began to understand how NF affected him differently when he was around 12.
A young baseball player wearing a helmet stands on a base on a dirt field.Learning differences were part of his childhood, as was a significant difference in the length of his legs. Around age 12, he underwent surgery intended to slow the growth of his longer left leg. As he got older, complications in that leg continued to progress. Plexiform neurofibromas contributed to increasing size and weight, while loss of sensation eventually led to recurring ulcers and infections.
Still, sports remained a major part of Aaron's life. As a child, he played soccer, baseball, and basketball. Eventually, his love of sports and fascination with the human body led him to pursue a master's degree in athletic training and a decade-long career in the field, working with college athletes.
Adapting-and Finding a New Path
As the problems with Aaron's leg progressed, the physical demands of athletic training became increasingly difficult. His mobility declined, and recurring infections sometimes required IV antibiotics. At 35, Aaron decided to amputate his left leg.
For Aaron, the decision wasn't simply about what he was losing. It was about what might become possible again.
He remembers waking up after the surgery smiling. "There was a weight lifted off me, both literally and figuratively," he says.
A technician uses a metal tool to adjust a red knee brace secured in a vise.Aaron at work
The professional transition was harder. Aaron had wanted to be an athletic trainer since college and described leaving the career as a loss not only of a job, but of part of his identity.
Eventually, he began looking for ways to apply what he knew about anatomy, rehabilitation, and patient care in a different setting. That search led him to orthotics and prosthetics-and to work in which his own experiences have become an unexpected asset. Today, Aaron works with patients who need braces following surgery, live with chronic pain, or experience mobility challenges including foot drop, something he understands firsthand.
Aaron has developed a phrase for the approach that has carried him through those changes: "Adapt, adjust and move forward."
Finding Community
For much of Aaron's childhood, NF was something he and his family largely navigated without a broader community. He remembers how isolating NF could feel growing up-at times, he thought he was "the only one out there" with no one who could relate.
That changed unexpectedly in high school, when Aaron discovered that another student in his grade also had NF1. The two could share a connection and talk to someone who understood what living with NF could be like.
Four panelists sit on chairs on a stage in front of a blue-lit curtain, with a Children's Tumor Foundation sign visible to the right.2026 NF Summit (Denver, Colorado)
As an adult, Aaron's connection to the NF community grew. He attended his first NF Summit in San Francisco in 2019 and discovered a much larger community where he could make connections, learn from others, and share experiences. Today, he is a member of CTF's Junior Board and has become increasingly interested in how the NF community can better support teenagers and young adults as they learn to navigate their own medical care and independence.
Meeting the Moment
Now, Aaron is stepping into a new role as CTF's 2027 National Ambassador.
He describes the opportunity as humbling-and as a responsibility to represent a community whose experiences with NF can look very different from his own. But when Aaron was first asked to consider becoming National Ambassador, another phrase came immediately to mind: "meet the moment."
Aaron believes NF is at an important point, with momentum building across research, awareness, and advocacy. As National Ambassador, he wants to match that momentum by being present, learning from others, sharing his own experience, and doing his part to move progress forward.
"I want to meet that moment," Aaron says. "I just want to continue this progress as much as I can."
The Children's Tumor Foundation published this content on November 02, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on November 03, 2026 at 19:23 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]