KIDS WITH COURAGE: Amelia DeBoer

BYRON, Minn. (KTTC) – A Byron family is especially grateful this Thanksgiving season to know their teenager is feeling well and healthy. This follows surgery this summer and a much longer journey with a condition many may not know about.

Amelia DeBoer, 13, loves to hang out with her sisters, play sports, enjoy the outdoors, and spend time with friends.

“They were like, ‘Wait, why do you have to have this?’ And I told them, ‘Because I have, like, Chiari,’ and they’re like, ‘You have what?’” Amelia explained with a smile.

She had to undergo a surgery this summer for Chiari Malformation, a condition Mayo Clinic states, “in which brain tissue extends into the spinal canal. It occurs when part of the skull is misshapen or smaller than is typical. The skull presses on the brain and forces it downward.”

“I remember I kept having to ask over and over again, ‘What is it called?’” said Amelia’s mom, Brooke DeBoer.

Brooke and Dean DeBoer explained Amelia’s medical journey began with a delayed start.

“So, when she was younger, it took her a long time to start crawling and walking. There was a lot of like clumsiness and everything,” Brooke recalled.

Amelia also experienced headaches multiple times a week oftentimes making her sick.

“She would start to cry and grab her head and in her like three-year-old voice would say, ‘My head hurts,’” Brooke said.

She said multiple forms of tests didn’t show any issues.

Still, Brooke advocated for months to get her daughter an MRI.

When doctors ordered an MRI, Brooke remembers the results were pretty immediate.

“They called me same day that she had Chiari,” Brooke said.

The condition meant a surgery for then three-year-old Amelia.

“They cut away part of her skull,” Brooke said.

She explained the medical team also placed what’s called a patch to expand space for Amelia’s brain.

“Her parents were terrific,” said Neurosurgeon Dr. Nicholas Wetjen. “She [Amelia] was a very cute little girl.”

Things improved for Amelia as she continued with physical and speech therapy.

That is, until headaches and neck aches returned a few years ago.

Doctors determined she needed surgery again.

“It was kind of scary, because, like, I’m older now, so I actually know what’s, like, happening and stuff like that,” Amelia said.

“I’d say I was a little nervous,” recalled Amelia’s sister Briella.

“Yeah, I was, like, really scared,” said Amelia’s sister Braelyn.

Still, this Kid With Courage didn’t falter.

“For her just to push through and try to get through everyday even though we knew the symptoms maybe were still there at times, I think really just showed how strong she could be,” Dean said.

“Just like stay positive through it all, and just like know that you’ll recover sooner than later,” Amelia said.

Over the years, the DeBoer family has seized opportunities to shine a light on this condition.

They also celebrate the fact that Amelia’s future is bright.

She plans to pursue a career in medicine.

KTTC asked Amelia if she envisions herself working to help young people.

“Yeah, I think that’d be really cool,” she said.

Email Caitlin if there is a Kid With Courage she should meet at kidswithcourage@kttc.com.

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