CAMERON COHEN NEEDED SOMETHING TO DO while he was stuck at home in a hip-to-toe leg brace for six months recovering from surgery. So he taught himself a new computer-programming language, developed an iPhone/iPod application he called iSketch and sold it to Apple Inc. This achievement wouldn’t be particularly noteworthy were it not for the fact that Cameron was just 11 years old at the time.
On top of his ingenuity, the sixth-grader went a step beyond to also become a philanthropist; his family is donating a portion of Cameron’s iSketch profits to Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital, where he underwent surgery in march 2009 to remove what turned out to be a benign bone tumor, and to Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA. their contribution — $20,000 thus far — will go toward purchasing electronic and entertainment items for hospitalized teens.
“I had great care in the hospital,” says Cameron, who was able to enjoy his own iPod while there. “But other kids in the hospital need things to make them feel better, too, and I am really excited that I can make a difference by providing them with iPods, computers and other fun things to use during their stay.”
