UI Stead Family Children's Hospital Kid Captain 2017: Maddox Smith

Maddox Smith has battled not one, but two rare conditions. At age 5, he was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, or NF, a rare genetic condition that causes tumors to grow on nerve cells. Currently, there is no treatment or cure. A few years later, he began experiencing severe headaches and was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor called a cavernoma. The tumor had bled, causing his brain to bleed and swell. Maddox underwent surgery to remove the tumor, and has been thriving since. Meet Maddox Smith from Coralville, Iowa at uichildrens.org/2017-maddox.