José Mejia-Evener, a 10-year-old from Fredericktown, will be the patient champion at the National Children’s Hospital’s 2022 Columbus Marathon on Oct. 15-16.
José and his family including his mom, Kristina Mejia, will have a tent set up at the 24-mile marker during the race to push and cheer on the runners.
José’s journey to being chosen for this role started at the very tender age of 4 months.
“When we took José back for his 4-month check up with his pediatrician, they noticed the soft spot in the top of his head had closed,” said Mejia. “We were sent to children’s neurology. That started a battery of tests. The result was that it had closed and he was prepped for surgery at 9 months old. They had to open up this skull and rearrange the bones. It left a scar from ear to ear.”
Every year, José goes to see a plastic surgeon and several other doctors involved with his case to get updates and to see if things are forming naturally. It’s been 10 years, and there have not been any complications.
Dr. Lindsay Bartram, a developmental and behavioral health physician at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, said José has made phenomenal progress since she first met him and his family.
“I have worked with José and his family for over 4 years now, and to see the significant strides he has made academically and behaviorally over time has been a great joy to me. He has a great team surrounding him, and I am honored to be a part of it.”
The fifth-grader at Fredericktown Elementary, whose chosen subject is math, hasn’t allowed any of his medical challenges to pause his love for sports. He’s active in basketball, baseball, football and soccer.
“The biggest issue he has is the scar on his head,” said Mejia. “It really impacted him when he was younger, but he didn’t know how to process it then, And, unfortunately, some kids can be mean. The scar isn’t too visible because he has thick locks of hair. Only when he gets a haircut is when it’s more visible.”
The marathon is a fundraiser to help fund procedures such as the one José had. His plastic surgeon and his psychiatrist nominated him to be Patient Champion.
The tent where he will be cheering runners will be decorated with a Minecraft theme, which is one of his favorite games.
“It feels exciting,” said Jose. “I wanted Minecraft because I play that game a lot. Sometimes I hate it, but mostly I do love playing it.”
