Surgeries and recoveries can be scary, especially when you’re 7 years old. But this Patient Champion Olivia doesn't let those experiences take away her "can do" attitude.
While volunteering at a small orphanage in China in 2012, Jennifer Cameron met little Olivia.
Cameron said, "I picked her up and I just had this overwhelming sense that instead of praying for her family to come, that I was her family."
A year later, Cameron adopted Olivia, and they became family forever.
As a first time mom, she is not only learning the ropes of parenting, but also juggling how to handle Olivia's brittle bone disease.
"I'm very regularly saying, 'Oh don't do that,' because we do want to keep those bones of hers safe," Cameron said. "She was walking down the stairs and her heel just hit the stair right and it broke."
"It really hurts a lot," Olivia explained. "But it's also hard to wait for it to get really better so you can do everything you want."
Periodically as Olivia grows, she'll have to have surgeries.
Cameron said. "We had one a year and a half ago."
Olivia had rods put in her legs at Nationwide Children's Hospital. And it’s there that she also receives infusions several times a year.
"We call it our bone juice because it helps strengthen the bones," Cameron said.
This allows Olivia to run and do what any kid should do: play.
Olivia said, "I like to draw, make art, sometimes I like to play with my sister and sometimes I just like to relax."
Last year, she cheered on Marathon runners at Mile 6.
Olivia said, "A lot of people say, 'You are a princess to me.'"
So it's no surprise she’s coming back this year for the Encore Mile
"You help the other kids at the hospital feel better and help the doctors make the kids feel better and work well," Olivia said.
And Olivia will tell you doing that makes her feel better, too.
This year marks the fifth year the Columbus Marathon and Half Marathon have partnered with Nationwide Children's Hospital. You can meet all the Patient Champions at the race this Sunday, October 16.