Hi, my name is Maria, and Emily is my niece and goddaughter.

Emily was born on the 17th of July 2025. Her parents had built a beautiful life together — they had just bought their forever home, got married, and were so excited to welcome their baby girl into the world, alongside their two much-loved dogs, Ralph and Zac.

When Emily was born, we were all overwhelmed with happiness. But very quickly, things took a turn. Emily was admitted to the NICU in Crumlin Hospital, and since then, her life has been filled with serious challenges.

Emily has a serious neurological condition that affects her ability to protect her airway. She needs constant medical care and monitoring.

She has spent most of her life in hospital. Earlier this year, her parents were finally able to bring her home, a moment they had been dreaming of. But after just 10 days, Emily suffered a devastating aspiration event which led to respiratory and cardiac arrest. She required CPR, and everything changed again in an instant. Unfortunately she has had 2 additional respiratory arrests since then.

Emily is now almost 10 months old and back in ICU in Crumlin, continuing to fight every single day.

Her parents are doing everything they can to be by her side, advocating for her and giving her the best possible care. At the same time, they are facing enormous pressure — they are unable to work, while still managing a mortgage, ongoing hospital stays, travel costs, and preparing for the complex care Emily will need in the future.

We don’t yet know what Emily’s long-term needs will be, but we do know her family will need support.

This fundraiser is to help ease some of that burden so her parents can focus on what matters most — being there for Emily.

Funds raised will go towards:

- Supporting the family while they are unable to work

- Travel and hospital-related expenses

- Preparing their home for Emily’s medical needs

- Ongoing care and essential equipment

If you can donate, no matter how small, it would mean so much. And if you’re unable to, please consider sharing Emily’s story.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for keeping Emily and her family in your thoughts. She is the strongest little girl, and we are all so proud of her.

With love and gratitude,

Maria