DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Don't call 3-year-old Lucky McMahon lucky.
That would be a disservice to the toughness he's forged through numerous surgeries.
Lucky was born with hydrocephalus, a condition caused by excess fluid around the brain. It can slow physical and mental development, cause feeding issues and — in Lucky's case — take away the ability to walk.
"I do not know how he's done it," said his mother, Paula McMahon. "I don not know how his brain works up there. But he's so stubborn. Maybe it's the Irish that keeps him going?"
She's not wrong. He's got enough personality for a dozen kids his age.
But if left untreated, hydrocephalus can be deadly. Paula and Lucky traveled from specialist to specialist, hospital to hospital, surgery to surgery — all to improve his chances.
"He was not supposed to do all of this," Paula McMahon said. "He has defied everybody...[This journey] makes me a different person. It taught me how to love, care and be more compassionate."
On Sept. 29, the Hydrocephalus Association is hosting an awareness walk near Indianapolis. Registration for the event is at 9:30 at Southeastway Park. For more information, click here.
