Baby Emma's Medical Fund

Our loving daughter, sister, and friend Lauren gave birth to baby Emma, who was 4 weeks premature, on March 23, 2016 at the Children's Hospital. Emma was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, enlarged ventricles, caused by a brain bleed in utero at 12 weeks.
She required surgery at 4 days old to place a VP Shunt in her head. This drains the excess fluid from her brain into an empty cavity in her abdomen via a silicone tube that runs the length of her head to belly. Emma was in the NICU for 3 weeks before she could be taken home.
Emma's parents were told that she would have developmental delays from birth but the extent of them weren't known until her parents watched her grow.
Unexpectedly, at 4 months old, Emma's cranial sutures fused and her fontanelle closed too early. She then required another surgery that couldn't be done until she was 10 months old to reopen these cranial sutures. She had the surgery 1/30/2017 and was at Children's Hospital for a week.


Now, Emma is a year old and thriving given all she's gone through. She healed very well from surgery and has resumed her regular therapy. Emma has an occupational therapist, physical therapist and vision instructor come to the house weekly, while her speech therapist and hearing instructor come to the house bi-weekly. These are all one hour sessions that Lauren has to be present for and involved with to learn how to work with Emma.
Her overrall brain development, vision and hearing were greatly affected by the excess fluid in her brain and she requires much more care than an "ordinary" baby. Emma's mom Lauren is her full time caretaker and unable to work. They have countless therapies and appointments in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. Your donation will help cover Emma's therapy equipment/toys, travel expenses and lost wages the family has experienced. Emma's dad, Ed, has made a platform therapy swing and mobiles for Emma. Lauren and her brothers have made countless visual aids for Emma. They're always having to purchase or make new toys/equipment for therapy. Lauren and Ed love Emma more than anything in this world and they just want her to have the best life possible. Emma has a very long road ahead of her but with your help and prayers, we are confident that she will excel, prove the doctors wrong and transcend all of her difficulties by continuing to grow into a healthy little girl . Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Please click to learn more about Emma's Journey