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The story of Landenberg native Mitchell Bacot is one of hardship but more powerfully, it is also one of hope, determination, faith and the love of family and friends By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer There is an aged brown book in the upstate New York home where Mitchell Bacot lives with his wife Jenamarie that documents the first chapters of a long journey that Mitchell has been on since he was a young boy growing up in Landenberg. The book was written by his mother Karen Bacot, and it records in copious detail the arduous and often painful chapter markers that saw young Mitchell go from doctor to doctor, from appointment to appointment, and from hospital to hospital. On Sept. 13, 1994, Mitchell, then a soccer player at Avon Grove Middle School, visited the nurse for a physical in order to be allowed to play sports. Later that day, the school nurse called Mitchell’s mother to inform her that Mitchell’s blood pressure was severely elevated. Within days, Mitchell surrendered to several tests and appointments, including an echocardiogram at the A.I. Children’s Hospital in Wilmington that revealed abnormalities. Even with all of the needed medical attention, he continued to play soccer and had dreams of playing at a professional level that eventually were let go when the diagnosis became real: Mitchell was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2), a rare genetic condition 8
Landenberg Life | Spring/Summer 2022 | www.chestercounty.com
Photo by Amelia Hamilton
Landenberg native Mitchell Bacot with his wife Jenamarie and their children.
usually diagnosed in young adults that affects one in 25,000 to 40,000 people. NF2 can cause a variety of symptoms and complications, including hearing loss as well as problems with balance and swallowing. Among the most serious is a predisposition to develop certain types of tumors in the brain and spine. During that time, Karen said that she had compiled a stack of MRI diagnoses that approached a foot thick, and also met with many doctors.
