The Official Kids Mag Hero we found this
month is Camden Tucker.
Camden, who is 15 years old, has been
in and out of Arkansas Children's Hospital
several times for heart surgeries and
procedures.
At five years old, Camden had open-heart
surgery at Arkansas Children's Hospital
for subaortic stenosis. This surgery fixed
restricted blood flow to the heart's pumping
chamber. She was in the hospital four days
recovering, then had check- ups every six
months.
The danger wasn't over for Camden's
heart. At 13, she developed a
supraventricular tachycardia, which is an
abnormally fast heartbeat. This happened
after dance class one day, and her heart rate
kept climbing.
Some medication worked to control her
heart, but it made her feel bad. She had
the choice of another heart procedure, an
ablation, or staying on the medication.
Camden chose to have the procedure
instead of daily medication. She was out of
school for three days this time.
Four months later, Camden had a second
ablation procedure at Arkansas Children's
Hospital and was quickly back to being a
regular teen.
During this time spent at Arkansas
Children's Hospital, Camden went to the
art room at Children's. She says, "It's what
made me happy." She spent lots of time in
the art room. She started to participate in
The Holiday Card Project for the Childrens
Hospital Gift Shop.
The art room made such a difference for
Camden, she has gathered art supplies and
donated them to the art room so other
kids in the hospital can spend time in the art
room.
Official Kids Mag thinks Camden is a great
example of what a hero is. Through lots
of adversity, she still thinks of others and
how she can help kids when they are going
through medical challenges like she has.
The Heart of a Hero
Of f icialKidsMag.com • JANUARY 2020 • 39
