This is Emma, our granddaughter. On Monday morning, November 20, 2006, around 5:00 a.m., Emma (at the time, 9 mos. old) had a seizure. She was taken by ambulance to Cardinal Glennon in St. Louis. After some blood tests, Emma was diagnosed with A.L.L. Leukemia. We all were devastated, to say the least. I got on the internet to do some research, and found the St. Jude website. St. Jude shares their research with other children’s hospitals to make sure all children get up-to-date treatments. I read that in 1962, when St. Jude’s opened, the survival rate for ALL leukemia was 4%. Now their survival rate of ALL leukemia is 94%; and all the other survival rates for childhood cancers have gone up dramatically! We are hopeful and prayerful that Emma is going to be just fine and the doctors at Cardinal Glennon are very positive and Emma has been doing very well with the treatment. The doctors and nurses have been awesome to our daughter, Anna (Emma’s mom) and Anna’s husband, Kyle (Emma’s dad). They have been so informative and kind to the whole family.
Also, while Emma was in the ICU unit, Anna and Kyle were able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House. OK, if you have never thought about this place, you need to. If you have never thrown your change in the Ronald McDonald’s House collection bin, you need to. They only charge them $5.00 per night and they get a free meal donated by individuals, groups and churches. (However, no one is turned away if they cannot pay the $5.) Anna and Kyle had a very nice room, with a private bathroom, and a shelf in the fridge and a cabinet for their own personal snacks and food. Otherwise, there are other fridges and cabinets that are stocked for daytime meals. Each family has a chore(s) that you have to do; Anna’s & Kyle’s were dishes (load dishwasher) and to take out the trash. The house-sitters are so friendly and kind and the place is very safe. The parents/families can do their laundry for free. It was such a blessing that they had a place to stay while Emma was across the street in ICU. It was a small measure of normalcy to live in a home-type situation at night.
We believe that God has a plan for all of us, even if we can’t understand it. However, if we can help anything good come out of this, it is that we help make more people aware of childhood cancers, of St. Jude’s, Cardinal Glennon, and Ronald McDonald’s House. Also, I get about 300 visitors each month to my website. If each of you just made a ONE-TIME donation of $10 or $20 to St. Jude or Cardinal Glennon, that could possibly be as much as $72,000.00 per year to fight childhood cancers!!! (300 visitors x $20 x 12 mos = $72,000.00). In addition, we are Partners In Hope with St. Jude, making monthly donations which are possible from our wedding customers.
Emma went into remission February 2007 but relapsed February of 2008. EMMA HAD HER BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT JULY 22, 2008.
Emma had another relapse in January, 2009. The doctor's say they can treat her, but not cure her. So, we are just enjoying our fiesty, sweet grandchild and taking it a day at a time.
Emma's Fishing and Zoo Trip in Spring of '08 Click here to see further updates on Emma, including photos |Donate to St. Jude’s | Donate to Cardinal Glennon | Donate or volunteer at Ronald McDonald House
