Emilie is an old soul. She’s deep, wise, witty, and profoundly empathetic. Unfortunately, her body was formed a little different from most, so she’s needed more than a little help from the scalpel. 

Here at age 9, she has already lived through four major surgeries on her spine (tethered spinal cord and cysts), brain (Chiari Malformation) and cleft palate. Due to the underlying anatomy, side effects from the intensive operations, and a host of other challenges (Klippel Feil Syndrome, autoimmune and GI conditions), instead of the ordinary, carefree life her friends and sisters have, Emilie’s daily life is undercut by pain, restrictions from physical activities to protect her body, and the stress of constant contact with the medical system. She bears these burdens with more toughness and maturity than would be expected of even most adults. 

To those who know and love Emilie she is the most empathetic, kind, joyful, and creative soul.  She has always been wise beyond her years and she is truly a gift to those who get to love her.