In the two-minute, 33-second video, Johnson tells Naomi he appreciates the fact that despite being sick, she and her family had a toy drive for other hospitalized children.
“When we got the video through my email (Monday) night, it was very exciting,” said her mother, Melissa Short, speaking while waiting for a medical visit.
“Her response was, ‘I’m getting famous with the wrestlers.’ She loved it.”
Having a toy drive while sick “just speaks volumes of the awesome little girl — big girl — that you are,” Johnson told her on the video.
“Love you,” he said, before blowing her a kiss, “and stay strong. And thanks for being the coolest fan on the planet.”
“We’ve just been worried about her because her balance is still really bad,” Short said. “She’s fallen a couple of times. She can’t get up and walk without somebody holding on to her.”
That has been a problem a couple of weeks. She needed an emergency surgery last week because a medical device inside her wasn’t working properly.
“We were hoping once the shunt was fixed, her balance would get better, but it hasn’t,” her mother said. “So we’re thinking it’s a side effect from treatment and the fatigue. So we’ve just got to watch her and see.”
Naomi’s mother asked that people “keep praying for her and keep her in their thoughts.”
Among other honors and gifts she has received were a salute from Hamilton City Council, an honorary deputization from the Butler County Sheriff and a visit with a sheriff’s horse dressed as a unicorn.
The next family project is to figure out what they can do for her and her brother for their birthdays, which are in May, Short said.
The “Naomi’s Fight: Naomi Strong” page on Facebook has links people can use to help her and her family, as well as follow her condition.
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