Reggie Bibbs
Reggie Bibbs
Founder of the 'Just Ask' campaign to promote NF awareness
Reggie Bibbs is a highly inspirational man living in Houston, Texas. He was born with neurofibromatosis (NF), a genetic disease which causes him to develop tumors on his body. NF can be a subtle disease, but in Reggie's case it has left him with a disfigured face. After years of public frustration, he launched a unique one-man campaign to call attention to this disease.
"I have neurofibromatosis. It's a disorder that causes tumors to grow along my nervous system. In my case, it's fairly disfiguring. When I would go out in public, people would stare or, worse, walk away. So I came up with an idea for a t-shirt and the rest, as they say, is history."
With the help of a friend at a local advertising agency, Reggie Bibbs created a t-shirt that would invite people to come up and talk to him about his disorder. "I figured the more they knew about my disease, the more they would understand me."
"When Reggie called me with the idea for a t-shirt that read, 'Just Ask', I literally had tears in my eyes, said long-time friend Lou Congelio, president of STANANDLOU Advertising. The idea was so simple and so powerful that I immediately offered him a position in the company."
The t-shirt features on the front an abstract outline of Reggie's face and, on the back, large type that simply says,'JUST ASK!'. Also included on the back is the url for Reggie's website, www.reggiebibbs.com.
Today, Reggie is also on MySpace and Facebook and has an online store on his website. He's been interviewed by Wikinews too.
Earlier this year, STANANDLOU and Reggie won 2 Gold ADDY Awards, one silver ADDY, and a Special Judges Award for Public Service Adversiting for their new "Just Ask" ads!
Reggie said, "I am thankful that the work here on the Just Ask campaign is getting noticed. More people will learn about NF as we keep pushing forward. Thank you all for supporting the site with your visits."
On April 14, 2009, the Just Ask Foundation became exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code.
To learn more about NF and Reggie, visit Reggie's award-winning website and join him and his friends at the Neurofibromatosis Cafe.