AURORA — A girl with a terminal illness was honored as a junior paleontologist at the 2015 National Fossil Day celebration on Saturday at Aurora Fossil Museum.

Seven-year-old Amery Green’s dream to become a paleontologist was realized this weekend when museum director Cynthia Crane and the Paleontological Society, an international organization devoted to the advancement of paleontology, recognized her as an honorary junior paleontologist. Amery was also given the 2015 Meg Award, an award designed just for her, according to Crane.

Crane also helped arrange for the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores to give Amery a special behind-the-scenes VIP access to its facilities.

“She was ecstatic,” Crane said. “Very excited. You could see the look on her face — it was just unbelievable.”

Amery was born with Mitochondrial disease, resulting from failures of the mitochondria, which are responsible for creating more than 90 percent of energy needed by the body to sustain life and support growth. When they fail, less and less energy is generated within the cell. Cell injury and even cell death follow, according to the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. Amery was not expected to live past her second birthday, according to Crane.

Crane first met Amery, a resident of Rockwell, in August 2014 when she and her mother visited the museum. Amery’s dream to meet a paleontologist became a reality when she met Crane.

“She came to the museum because she loves fossils, and when she met me, she was thrilled because she wants to be (a paleontologist), and she had never met one,” Crane said. “It’s unfortunate that she has to face (her disease) everyday. She’s 7 years old and this child can monitor her own health and deal with all the equipment — the disease is not crippling her. It’s something to see a 7-year-old be able to accept it and take charge of it. She’s an inspiration to me. She said she wanted to be just like me; it breaks my heart, in a way. Just to be able to give her something like (the awards), it’s what we should do. It’s what the museum is about — to give a child something they may never be able to be exposed to otherwise. I’m proud to be a member of the society because when I contacted them, they immediately agreed to (honor Amery). There’s a lot of compassion in that organization.”

And not only is Amery still going strong, despite her illness, she also formed an organization, dubbed Amery’s Army, that focuses on outreach to other kids that are suffering with illnesses or are less fortunate, according to Crane.

“She donates stuff and tries to organize drives for other kids—not only the kids that are sick with Mitochondrial disease, but other kids who need help with things,” Crane said. “She does a lot of outreach and has done things that most adults haven’t done. The realization of her illness being terminal and dealing with it and being happy and inspiring others to do good, it just speaks volumes about her character. We were so glad to be able to do that for her and give her the awards and recognition. She’s a great kid.”

To learn more about Amery Green, visit www.facebook.com/amerysarmy.