When Brad and Alyssa Casacci’s newborn son Cameron suffered a stroke at just one day old, their world turned upside down. After 19 days in the hospital, the little boy went home with permanent damage to the left side of his brain. Fed through tubes and working hard in therapy, Cameron defied odds and hit milestones, until his seizure-like symptoms returned.
Doctors soon diagnosed him with a form of treatment-resistant infantile epilepsy, and the Casaccis were faced with an unthinkable choice: a rare surgery called a hemispherotomy, which would disconnect the left side of Cameron’s brain to protect the right.
Before age 4, the brain’s right hemisphere can actually take over many of the functions normally handled by the left, like speech and language. For Cameron, not yet even a year old, this surgery offered a 92% chance of relief and a real shot at a brighter future.
But then came another crushing blow: their insurance denied coverage because the only pediatric neurosurgeon willing to perform the surgery, at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, was out of state.
That’s when strangers stepped in. Friends launched a GoFundMe, and support poured in from across the world. People wrote to legislators, contacted news stations, and shared Cameron’s story far and wide. Donations quickly soared, covering 98% of the $100,000 goal.
“The GoFundMe truly exceeded all expectations,” the organizers wrote in an August 12th update. “We knew people would want to help Brad, Alyssa, and Cameron, but nothing could have prepared us for this outpouring of support. The real journey is only beginning, and while the surgery is the first major step toward a seizure-free life for Cameron, the family has years of therapies and treatments following the surgery.”
Then came even more good news: a second appeal overturned the denial. Independent Health agreed to pay for Cameron’s surgery.
Now, with the GoFundMe funds being placed into a protected medical trust, Cameron’s therapies, treatments, and home adaptations will be covered for years to come.
What started as a heartbreaking story of setbacks has turned into one filled with resilience, generosity, and hope. No one knows what the future holds, but one thing is clear: Cameron won’t face it alone.
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