Baby of the Year candidate from Kansas born with heart defect, mom is fighting brain cancer

SHAWNEE, Kan. — KSHB 41 News reporter Braden Bates covers parts of Jackson County, Missouri, including Lee's Summit. Send Braden a story idea by e-mail.

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Amaura Thompson, a baby from Shawnee, Kansas, is a candidate for the national Baby of the Year competition. In the nine months since she was born, her life made her a fighter.

She was born with a double aortic arch, a congenital heart defect that required around-the-clock medical care for the first 6 weeks of her life.

"She was born not able to breathe," her mother, Lindsey Thompson, said.

Lindsey Thompson

The defect caused a complete vascular ring around her trachea and esophagus, her mom said. Just 12 days after being born, she underwent major surgery. While in the hospital only those 14 and over were allowed to see her. Three of her four siblings had to wait weeks to meet their baby sister.

While Amaura was able to go home she's still dealing with lingering impacts.

"A result of the surgery was that her left vocal cord was paralyzed and so due to that, her vocal cords aren't able to block out the fluid from going into her lungs," Lindsey said.

However, recent doctors visits are showing hope for improvement. Despite the medical issues, Amaura's a very happy baby.

Tamara Goodwin Photography

Part of that is the fighter spirit that was passed down from her mom.

Lindsey has also been dealing with her own health battles since a medical episode sent her to the hospital in 2022.

"I got an MRI the next day and discovered that there's an 8 centimeter tumor in my left frontal lobe," Lindsey said.

Lindsey Thompson

She has since undergone surgery which removed about 80% of the tumor. That was followed with radiation, and chemotherapy.

"So even though I had surgery and I went through radiation over the summer and a year of chemo, I still have brain cancer," Lindsey said.

Routine scans have come back stable.

Lindsey Thompson

Lindsey said she worried throughout Amaura's early medical challenges.

"It's a mom's job to worry, and so I worried," Lindsey said.

She said Amaura's motivation is clear.

"I think it's because she knows that she's been through the worst of it. It's just amazing the resilience that I've seen in her," Lindsey said.

The family, which includes five children, said Amaura brightens their home. Her siblings Freddie and Adelee each spoke about the impact she has had.

"After a long day at school, and after I get done with my homework and everything, she just brings my day up," Freddie said.

"She brings the joy to the family," Adelee said.

Tamara Goodwin Photography

Kamau Thompson, Amaura's father, said the sibling bond among his children is a gift.

"Greatest reward for the time that we spend with them is watching them become the people they're becoming," Kamau Thompson said.

Kamau said Amaura followed in her mother's footsteps.

"Amaura is a rock star, but she's a rock star because her mom was a rock star before her," Kamau said.

Voting is currently open for the national Baby of the Year competition. Winners receive $25,000 and are featured in a magazine.

Voting ends for the group stage of the competition on October 8. If you would like to vote for Amaura, click here.

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