- November 14, 2024
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Cameron Higgins came home on April 1 – almost exactly two months after an AVM, arteriovenous malformation, incapacitated the 11-year-old, and had him fighting for his life.
“I was waiting for them to say April Fool, he’s not going home, but I think they knew better than that,” his mom, Ashley Higgins said.
Higgins found her 11-year-old son on the kitchen floor, the evening of Feb. 3. He was suffering from AVM, an ailment she knew nothing about. That has changed, through research, and after sitting by Cameron’s bedside at Jacksonville’s Wolfson Children’s Hospital and Brook Rehabilitation Center the past two months. Higgins is now well-versed on the cause and treatments for the malformation that changed their lives.
As they headed toward home on April 1, she asked Cameron if he knew where they were -- but he didn’t -- not until they turned onto their street in Palm Coast.
“When we turned onto our street, his eyes got big,” Higgins said. “Everyone came pouring out of the house to greet him.”
Cameron was particularly happy to be reunited with his pets, Lulu, the dog; and Gracie and Cooper, the cats. Since he’s been home his routine has been filled with therapy and outings to favorite places like Waterfront Park.
The family awaits the arrival of a gait trainer, a walker designed to help Cameron practice walking.
“The question, ‘will he be able to walk?’ wasn’t answered until he started moving his right leg two weeks ago,” Higgins said. “Now that he is moving his right arm and leg, it is believed that he has an excellent chance of walking again. The six-month mark is going to tell us what he is going to get back, and what is gone.”
His recovery is more than physical. Higgins knows the mental recovery will take years.
“The AVM was on the left side of the brain, the side that controls language,” she said. “I have Cameron with me, but the Cameron I know is still slowly coming back.”
On Monday, April 18, he will return to Wolfson Children’s Hospital for an angiogram. The doctors will feed a tube from his groin to his brain, and insert dye to see how big the AVM is and to make sure there aren’t other aneurysms present. The day will also include an MRI, which will allow the doctors to determine if surgery or radiation is the best course of treatment for Cameron.
Higgins is hoping the procedures can be done on an out-patient basis, but with the anesthesia, she knows there is a possibility that he will stay the night.
The generosity of those who have heard of Cameron’s story has overwhelmed Higgins. On Monday, April 11, the Grand Haven Golf Club - she works for the Community Development District – held a golf tournament to benefit Cameron. She found it difficult to be “silent” during the silent auction.
“I was bawling 10 minutes into it,” she said. “There were these people bidding, $100, $200, and more. I looked at these people, and some I knew, but most I didn’t know, and they didn’t who I am. The fact that they are willing to support someone they don’t know – so much generosity….”
Cameron was able to attend the event and even drew some winning drawing tickets.
“I’ll never be able to repay these people,” Higgins said. “I’m not just talking about the money, but what they have given me in support and love.”
