Meet our 2010 Champion Child Sienna!

When Sienna was born, they found an arachnoid cyst on the lining of her brain -- a sack of spinal fluid that covers the entire left side of her head, pushing her brain over to the right side.

Sienna's condition is so rare and complex that by the time she was two years old, she'd had 29 surgeries! In one year, Sienna and her family had spent 227 nights in hospital - the scariest part of her ordeal lasted nearly 15 months.
Sienna's brain was so complicated that the Neurosurgery team had to come up with a specialized plan to cope with the cyst and the resulting severe Hydrocephalus. Sienna's team of surgeons created a special shunt just for Sienna that would stabilize the pressure in the cyst as well as drain the buildup of fluid on her brain. This was the turning point in Sienna's recovery; a one-of-a kind shunt for a one-of-a kind little girl.

Even when Sienna was in the fight of her life in hospital and could barely lift her head off the pillow, she always had a smile for everyone. She'd laugh and blow kisses and seemed to have a knack for calming everyone down around her. Her mom Brenda says that in those times, it was Sienna herself who gave the family hope and courage.