Sweet Emmi's Journey #MightyEmmi

Meet, Emmi...

On her 3-year well-child checkup, Emmi's pediatrician found she had an enlarged spleen after her parents expressed a few concerns they had about Emmi in the past month or so. Labs were ordered to find the cause. Unfortunately, a few days later, on Friday, June 17th, her parents received a phone call and heard the words no parent should ever have to hear, "your child has cancer", her lab results revealed she had leukemia. Suddenly they felt their world turn upside down.

Sweet Emmi was rushed and admitted to the hospital, where she was officially diagnosed with High Risk B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (just 6 days after her 3rd birthday). Emmi started aggressive chemotherapy as a high-risk patient due to hyperleukocytosis, high white blood cell count and spent almost a month inpatient.

Emmi has undergone many rounds of chemotherapy since. She has suffered many setbacks along the way but has never stopped fighting. Having spent almost a month in the hospital, her family has seen dark days.

During her journey, Emmi has undergone surgeries and many procedures, including bone marrow biopsies, intrathecal chemotherapy, port placement, NG tube placement, lumbar punctures and spinal taps. Emmi has had back, leg, and feet pain (neuropathy) that makes her not want to walk but still, she tries never to give up. She's also had and will continue to have multiple blood and platelet transfusions.

Although she struggles with taking oral medications and has lost her hair and weight due to chemotherapy side effects (nausea, vomiting, terrible mouth sores, constipation, fevers, and pain in general -- to name a few), Emmi has remained courageous and has brought smiles to so many during her journey.

Emmi is currently recovering from neutropenia at home after being discharged from yet another extensive stay at the hospital. Once her neutrophils and blood counts are where they need to be, she will begin inpatient chemotherapy which will require more hospitalizations, during which Emmi will be forced to be away from her home and siblings, whom she loves very much. The treatments during this phase will require at least a 3-day stay each for a total of 4 rounds.

For Emmi's parents, spending the majority of their time in the hospital and not being able to be fully present for their other children at home has been very hard and has opened up their eyes to a world not many people get to see. No parent should have to experience this, but it’s a world many parents have to live through. Emmi's mom takes care of her full-time while her Dad works to meet the needs of their family of seven.

Children like Emmi truly are superheroes and fight the most incredible battles within their bodies, minds, and souls.

"Children with cancer are like candles in the wind who accept the possibility that they are in danger of being extinguished by a gust of wind from nowhere and yet, as they flicker and dance to remain alive, their brilliance challenges the darkness and dazzles those of us who watch their light." - Unknown

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and twice as beautiful as you’d ever

imagined.” — A.A. Milne

#MightyEmmi

#EmmiEsFuerte