W.H. woman to wash cars for a cause

With the threat of snowfall finally subsiding, Long Islanders are sure to be heading to the car wash to rid their vehicles of the residue left behind after months of brutal snow, sleet and salt. West Hempstead resident Krissy Diaz is asking them to hold off on washing those cars until April 23, when they can kill two birds with one stone, cleaning their cars and donating to a good cause.

Diaz, 23, will hold a carwash that day in the parking lot of the T-Mobile store, locate d at 590 Hempstead Turnpike, as part of her effort to raise funds for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Joining Diaz on her mission will be members of the Neurofibromatosis Endurance Team, the foundation’s fundraising arm, which participates in the Long Island Marathon annually. Diaz has volunteered as the team’s captain for several years.

“This is a personal cause for me,” Diaz said. She has been fighting Neurofibromatosis Type II since she was diagnosed at age 8. The disorder, known as NF2, is a rare genetic disorder characterized by multiple tumors on the cranial and spinal nerves, and by other lesions of the brain and spinal cord. Diaz suffers from the most common symptom of the disorder — hearing loss. She lost her hearing at 18, just as she was graduating high school.

In the years since she was diagnosed, Diaz has undergone eight surgeries, including four brain surgeries, one of which was performed within the year she was diagnosed to stop a tumor from crushing her brainstem.

But neither her hearing loss nor her hospital stays have deterred Diaz from pursuing her education and fighting for her cause. She is currently enrolled as a graduate student at Hofstra University where she is majoring in creative art therapy. “I love it and I finally feel like I’m on the right path,” Diaz said. “I want to help others give back. I may even go as high as to get my PhD in art therapy.”

Diaz is a graduate of Nassau Community College, where she earned an associate’s degree in communication arts, and the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies.