Medical help for little Emi

Emiliano Noguera-Sierra was born on May 30, 2019, and brought with him a ton of sunshine and smiles. One week later at 7 days old, sweet Emi was diagnosed with retinoblastoma when a tumor was found in his eye. At three weeks of age, Emi and his parents Chico and Erika made their first trip to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to start his first round of chemotherapy and to see one of the world’s top specialists in this cancer at Wills Eye Hospital. From the beginning, Emi’s prognosis has been very optimistic due to the early screening and small size of the tumor. Having the best team in the country has brought the family confidence during a difficult time and minimized the risks for Emiliano. Because of his weakened immune system Emiliano has not been vaccinated and this has meant he could not attend daycare. Chico and Erika feel fortunate they have been able to juggle work schedules to keep Emi home, but the frequent travel and local doctor’s visits have meant a loss of income. In addition, despite a continued optimistic prognosis, Emiliano’s tumor has been resistant to treatment and continues growing. This means additional treatments and a new team of doctors at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia to administer a new treatment.




Chico and Erika remain optimistic and feel immense gratitude for the support of family, friends, flexible employment, and insurance. Emiliano himself is meeting milestones, gaining weight like a champion, and bringing joy everywhere. And yet, the journey is taking its toll. Despite having insurance - the co-pays for MRIs, hospital stays, treatments, and travel are mounting and continued treatments mean they will continue missing work. They have begun to acknowledge that accepting community support may lessen the burden and so they have decided to share this journey more publicly in order to make the many offers of support more tangible.