Cameron Mott

      What makes a person a hero? A hero is not necessarily someone who changes or saves the world, but someone who lives a life that reflects their inner beauty. A hero is someone who helps the poor, or dedicates their time to needy people, or, in this case, undergoes an extensive amount of suffering, including brain trauma and surgery. That is exactly what Cameron Mott endured. It is hard seeing people suffer medical problems and not being able to help them. It's especially hard when your 6 year old daughter suffers from such an awful disease as Rasmussen's Encephalitis. The journey that Cameron went through was not just hard on her, but also on her family. However throughout the whole process Cameron was brave, courageous, and never complained. For all these reasons, Cameron Mott is my hero.

      At the age of three, Cameron Mott was diagnosed with a horrible disease called Rasmussen's Encephalitis. This awful disease eats away at half of the brain causing an extreme amount of seizures. Cameron was having up to 10 seizures a day, and that's when her parents knew something was wrong. Cameron would be playing just like any other small child when suddenly, she would lose consciousness and begin to convulse; that's when the seizures would begin. Her seizures would last about 3 minutes each, and many would soon follow the first. Cameron had to wear a helmet every minute of every day to protect herself from head trauma during the falls. She was constantly getting hurt from falling so abruptly to the ground with seizures. Considering she could not live her day like a normal child, injuries were only one of the many hardships of Cameron's burdensome life.

      Cameron's parents, Casey and Shelly Mott were horrified. It is very hard on parents who have children with different diseases, but to be told that the only way that your daughter can be cured from her disease is to remove half of her brain would be terrifying! That's exactly what had to be done to Cameron; at the age of six, Cameron had to go into surgery for a hemispherectomy. It was the right side of the brain that was removed and the left side of the body that was temporarily paralyzed after surgery. Casey and Shelly's main fear of Cameron's surgery was that she wouldn't be the same person afterwards. "It was very scary, because you just can't imagine what your child will be like after such a dramatic brain surgery, It just doesn't seem like they can be the same child," her mother Shelly said on NBC's Today Show. But they braved through and decided that the surgery was what was right- for Cameron, and for all of them as a family.

      So Cameron and her family traveled 400 miles from their home to The John Hopkins Children's Centre in Baltimore to see a specialized neurosurgeon, Dr. Jallo. He said in an interview that he performs about nine hemispherectomies a year. Many people won't resort to the surgery out of fear of the risks that accompany it. All surgeries are a little scary, but this particular surgery is only performed on the bravest of people. When Dr. Jallo first saw Cameron's brain, he said, he could tell it was dying. The infected half was black and beginning to mold. Luckily, Cameron had come to see Dr. Jallo before the disease could spread to the other side of her brain. The surgery was a huge success and an even bigger relief to her and her family. Only about 10 days after the surgery, Cameron was already walking on a treadmill again. Dr. Jallo taught her how to walk without limp and other nurses and specialists helped her regain her strength. Miraculously, she was out of the hospital within 4 weeks.

      Cameron Mott is my hero because throughout her whole journey, she was brave, courageous, and never complained. What was also amazing to me was how she already had this great amount of strength and courage at such a young age. When Cameron grows up, she wants to be a ballerina "because they twirl around." I think we all take for granted how lucky we are to have our abilities. Cameron had to re- learn how to walk after surgery. When I walk every day, I am certainly not thinking about how thankful I am for that ability. We complain about doing things like going to school or running at gym class when there are children that would give an arm and a leg, or in this case half a brain, to do the things we take for granted. I hope that someday I can be as strong and positive as Cameron.