Tri-Valley Teen Battling Cancer Scores Unforgettable Photo After Running into YouTube Star Bethany Mota

By AUTUMN JOHNSON

A Dublin teen battling cancer got a great surprise after her weekend recovery from chemotherapy when she ran into East Bay resident and YouTube sensation Bethany Mota this week while shopping at Stoneridge Shopping Center in Pleasanton.

Camille Chabot, 19, was in Nordstrom on Monday when she bumped into the YouTube star who was shopping in the Brass Plum section of the store. Camille’s mom, Kerrie Chabot, says Mota posed for a photo with Camille after the two young women chatted for a few minutes while waiting in line. Camille, a huge fan of the online fashionista, has followed Mota on YouTube for years.

Camille posted the photo with Mota on her Facebook page and wrote, “Ran into Bethany Mota at the mall!”

According to Chabot, Mota gave Camille a compliment that every “Mota-vator” (the nickname of die hard Mota fans) dream about.

“Camille was flattered when Mota mentioned her outfit was ‘really cute’,” Chabot said. “Camille wears colorful berets this winter to conceal the hair loss she has suffered from chemotherapy.”

Just a week earlier, Camille’s younger sister, Amelie Chabot, was one of thousands of local teen “Mota-vators” who got up at the crack of dawn to stand in line at the very same mall for a chance to meet Mota. Following the happy encounter, Camille immediately texted her youngest sister of the news.

Camille’s mom posted on Mota’s Facebook page and thanked her, “Bethany Mota, yesterday you met my daughter Camilleat Nordstrom while she was shopping. Camille just finished her 8th of 12 chemotherapy treatments for stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma. Thank you for making her smile. Coincidentally, her younger sister (and YouTuber) Amelie Chabot met you just last week after waiting in line 8 hours to shake your hand, so she was a little jealous of her big sister’s chance encounter with such a star. Thank you again for making their day. Sincerely, Kerrie”

Camille is a former Dublin Young Citizen of the Year and has become famous in the Tri-Valley area as she pushes to beat her cancer. Once Camille was diagnosed, a movement began in the Chabot household. It quickly spread throughout the tight-knit community and soon the #CamilleStrong rally cry could be heard all over Dublin. Since the summer, hundreds of photos from all over the community have been posted on social media using the #CamilleStrong hashtag.

According to Chabot, the #CamilleStrong movement now has photo posts from Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Asia and many countries and monuments in Europe, Canada, South America. Follow Camille’s journey on Facebook.

Mota makes videos and blogs about beauty and fashion and has her own YouTube channel with over 8 million subscribers. Mota has over 1.5 million followers on Facebook and more than 3 million followers on Instagram. Find her Facebook page here. Those interested in ordering a #CamilleStrong shirt, wristband or scarf can email camillestrongfoundation@gmail.com.

Did you meet Mota during her recent appearance at the Stoneridge Shopping Center in Pleasanton? Tell us in the comment section below. Get a photo with her? Share it with Patch!

Photos courtesy of Chabot family. Photo 1: Bethany Mota and Camille Chabot. Photo 2: Amelie Chabot with Bethany Mota. Photo 3: Amelie Chabot and friends at Bethany Mota event earlier in January.

Previously on Patch:

• Community Goes #CamilleStrong to Support Dublin Teen Fighting Cancer
• Mystery Substance Found On More East Bay Seabirds
• Oh, No! Season’s Flu Vaccine Just 23 Percent Effective: CDC
• Former Bay Area Factory Worker Celebrates Her 113th Birthday

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