Support Emily’s Recovery and Her Newborn Baby Girl

Our family is reaching out with heavy hearts and hopeful spirits, asking for your support during one of the most challenging times of our lives.

On November 7th, Emily (Lorrey) Calicchio had an emergent delivery of a beautiful healthy baby girl. However, Emily suffered an Amniotic Fluid Embolism (AFE), a rare and life-threatening condition for the mother and/or the baby. During an AFE, the delivering mother has a severe allergic response to her amniotic fluid, causing sudden and catastrophic organ failure, including cardiac arrest. There is no predicting this exceedingly rare complication that is nearly always fatal (as few as two in every ten mothers survive). Through the grace of God, Emily was able to fight through cardiac arrest, massive blood transfusions, a series of strokes in her brain, and multiple surgeries. As a result, Emily was in critical condition for weeks.

Emily’s ICU doctors, nurses, and guardian angels worked tirelessly to get her stabilized. We are beyond grateful for the medical professionals across several facilities who have stayed by Emily’s side and ours to fight for her life. Through their work and Emily’s strength, she’s been cleared to begin care at a rehabilitation facility. She has emerged from a coma, but remains in a minimally conscious state, working everyday to regain consciousness. Every day, we hope and pray for her full recovery. The road ahead will require immense strength, time, resources, and patience. Emily’s husband, Darryl, has been by her side through every moment of this unimaginable ordeal, while also taking on the tremendous responsibility of caring for their newborn daughter. Darryl, along with our entire family, is doing everything possible to care for Emily and their precious daughter. We are surrounding Emily and baby girl with all the love and stability we have, but balancing these responsibilities has been overwhelming emotionally and financially. Darryl’s dedication and strength in the face of these challenges have been remarkable, but we know this is not a journey anyone can take alone.

The support we have already received from our community has been absolutely incredible. As Emily’s plan and outcome are still very much unknown, we need additional help to navigate this challenging journey. So many friends and family have reached out, asking how they can do more to help during this difficult time. At their urging, we are setting up this GoFundMe to provide a direct route for supporting Emily, her husband, and their daughter. Any funds raised will be used to cover Emily’s medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and baby care. We are sincerely grateful for any contribution, no matter the type or size. We pledge that unused funds will be donated to Wee Care Burlington , and the Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation , organizations that have become close to our hearts. Your prayers, positivity, kindness, and encouragement have been a source of strength for us, and we cannot thank you enough. 

If you are looking for additional ways to support Emily and others, we would love for you to consider giving blood. Emily was the recipient of a large amount of blood products, and we know she would deeply appreciate those who are able to donate during this season.

We are so blessed to have each other, our large loving families, friends, and our faith. We continue to be inspired by Emily’s progress thus far and look forward to her continued recovery, and return home. Thank you for all you can give, have given, and thank you for your love and friendship alongside Emily, Darryl, their baby, and our families.

Birth trauma affects so many women in ways that often go untold. While we’ve shared Emily’s story here to ask for your support, it is ultimately hers to tell. We sincerely appreciate your respect for her privacy as she continues on this journey.

The Calicchio, Heffernan, and Lorrey families thank you in advance for your support. ❤️