Emery's Road to Recovery

On Monday, January 9th, Claire and Aaron noticed something was off. Emery wasn’t her usual vibrant, happy self. They followed their gut and took her to the doctor, only to be told that everything looked normal and to continue to monitor for a virus that may not have yet presented itself. The next morning, that gut feeling still hadn’t gone away, so they went back. After a quick exam, Emery was admitted to the T.J. Samson Community Hospital in Glasgow.

Emery was showing signs of possible viral infection, but the test results showed otherwise. With her continued rapid decline, her doctor became suspicious of botulism and suggested a transfer to Norton's Children's Hospital. According to the CDC, botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by a toxin that attacks the body’s nerves. The bacteria that make botulinum toxin are found naturally in many places, but rarely make people sick. The bacteria make spores and the spores can make one of the most lethal toxins known. Doctors treat botulism with a drug called antitoxin, which prevents the toxin from causing any more harm. Read more about botulism here.

Because of the seriousness of this bacteria, doctors weren't willing to take any chances. They flew Claire and Emery to Louisville to be treated (Aaron would drive to meet them there early the next morning since only one person was allowed to accompany Emery on the flight). Shortly after Emery was admitted to Norton's Children's Hospital, doctor's confirmed every parent's worst nightmare: she had botulism and was declining rapidly. Thankfully, her doctors were on top of it. They ordered the antitoxin (baby BIG) but would need to wait hours for it to be driven to the hospital.

After receiving the antitoxin, Emery's prognosis began to look up. Since she was still unable to swallow, they inserted a feeding tube to get her the nutrients she'd need to regain her strength.

While Emery's outcome is a positive one, she has a long road to recovery. She will likely need to relearn many of the motor skills she had already picked up in her 6 months of life. She'll return home with a great deal of medical equipment and will need the strength and encouragement of her parents and sister to fully recover.

As friends and family of Emery, we are asking for your help. The Moulders will likely be returning home with a mass of medical bills. All the while, in order for them to focus all of their time and attention on Em, Claire and/or Aaron will need to take a step back from work. So, as people who care deeply about Emery and her family, we need to step up.

No donation is too small! Each contribution will help get this beautiful, strong baby and her family the help they deserve! Please note that GoFundMe charges a 2.9% + $0.30 fee for each online donation. You're more than welcome to send cash or check donations directly to the Moulder family to avoid that donation fee. Please contact one of the people below for a mailing address.

Claire & Aaron Moulder | [email redacted]

Lynn Hoffman | [email redacted]