CINCINNATI — Make no mistake about it: Rozlyn “Roz” Abbott is a huge Cincinnati Bengals fan.
Roz, 7, daughter of Anne and Matthew Abbott, of Sidney, got to attend a Bengals practice Tuesday because she’s a Cincinnati Children’s Champion Kid. Her parents and brother, Rylen, also attended the practice.
“On Sept. 10, she will be representing Cincinnati Children’s Hospital before the game and will be giving out the game day ball,” said her mom, Anne. “They will also be showing a short video of her day today (Tuesday) along with her amazing story.”
While Roz and her family were with the Bengals Tuesday, she got to meet her favorite player, running back Giovanni Bernard, No. 25. After he autographed her paper, Bernard had Roz autograph his shirt.
The Champion Kid program, said Abbott, select children who have gone through majority medical treatment to represent the hospital at different events throughout the year.
“They knew we were huge Bengals fans and selected Roz to represent them,” said Abbott.
During the event, Roz got to watch practice, meet the coach and players, play pass with the players and her brother and dad. She was also a part of the practice huddle and led them in their chant. She did an interview with Cincinnati Children’s and participated in a photo shoot.
Earlier this year, Roz was chosen to be the mascot for the Wittenberg University women’s basketball team.
“She is pretty popular,” said Abbott. “I think it is the fact that her diagnosis is so rare and she has surpassed their expectations already. We love to advocate for Cincinnati Children’s because they saved her life.”
When Roz was littler, she was battling seizures. In February 2014, she underwent a hemispherectomy and during the surgery the right side of her brain was disconnected. A week after surgery she was diagnosed with Rasmussen Encephalitis, which is a very rare disease. There are approximately 500 reported cases worldwide of the disease.
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