In early 2005, Emma developed a large bump on her face that looked like mumps. When antibiotics failed, Emma went to a specialist who immediately identified the bump as a tumor. Emma and her family were sent to St. Louis Children’s Hospital for further testing where they were told that Emma had an aggressive form of leukemia, AML. Emma’s cancer was in stage 4, giving her a 20% chance of survival.

Emma endured several rounds of chemotherapy and was prepared to undergo a bone marrow transplant. On 5/26/05, Emma received a bone marrow transplant from her older sister, Abby, who was a perfect match for the transplant. She spent 100 days in solitude following her transplant, followed by weekly tests and visits to St. Louis Children’s Hospital. She is now doing very well and visits the hospital every three months for simple checkups.

The fact that her sister was a perfect match was a miracle in itself, but Abby herself is her family’s first miracle. Abby was born severely disabled and doctors told her parents that she wouldn’t make it a year. Abby defied all odds and is a joy to her family. As her mom describes her, “she’s perfect!”

Emma has a great smile and a contagious laugh. Her nickname is “Dakota” because she resembles the actress Dakota Fanning and can turn on her movie-star attitude like Dakota.