In October 2025, our world changed forever.
Our daughter Emme was just five years old when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). One moment we were living our normal, everyday life, and the next we were stepping into a world of hospital stays, treatment plans, and uncertainty no parent is ever prepared for.
But if there’s one thing Emme has taught us since that day, it’s this: even in the hardest moments, joy can still exist.
Navigating Emme’s Leukemia Treatment
From the beginning, we learned that treatment for childhood leukemia is not a straight path—it’s a series of phases, each with its own challenges. The first nine months have been the most intensive, and Emme is currently in her third phase.
Her treatment has included:
- Chemotherapy in many forms—oral medications, IV through her port, injections, and lumbar punctures
- Steroids and immunotherapy
- Preventative antibiotics, vitamins, and medications to manage side effects
- Blood and platelet transfusions
One of the treatments she is receiving now is blinatumomab, which was made possible through childhood cancer research supported in part by St. Baldrick’s. Knowing that this research has helped create better outcomes for kids like Emme gives us so much hope as we continue forward.
The Reality of Childhood Cancer
Treatment doesn’t just affect Emme physically—it impacts every part of her life.
She hasn’t been able to attend school and misses her friends so much. Because her immune system is compromised, we’ve had to put many normal activities on pause. There are medications she has to take that she absolutely hates, and treatments that are painful. She’s lost her hair and has had moments where she’s been incredibly sick.
And yet, even in all of this, there is so much goodness.
Her school has gone above and beyond to support her. Her teacher comes to our home to help with instruction, and she gets to FaceTime her classmates. Her care team is absolutely incredible—they don’t just treat her medically, they care for her emotionally and help her stay focused on the positive.
Why Childhood Cancer Research Matters to Us
Childhood cancer research is not just important to our family—it has directly impacted Emme’s life.
At one point, she had an anaphylactic allergic reaction to a chemotherapy drug. It was terrifying. But thanks to existing research, her medical team was able to present alternative ways to safely administer that same treatment. We were able to make an informed decision for her care because of that research.
And with treatments like blinatumomab, we’ve seen how research continues to improve outcomes for children facing high-risk leukemia. That gives us something every cancer family holds onto tightly—hope.
How Our Lives Have Changed
Since Emme’s diagnosis, everything about our daily lives has shifted.
Our schedules revolve around appointments, medications, and doing everything we can to keep her healthy. But in the middle of all that, we’ve also experienced something incredibly powerful.
We have been surrounded by the most amazing support system—through our workplaces, our faith, our family, and our friends. We have been completely enveloped in love, support, and prayer. It has changed us in ways we never expected.
We’ve also learned to slow down. To appreciate the small, everyday moments that we once took for granted. Our perspective on life has been transformed in the most beautiful way.
What Emme Has Taught Us
There was a moment in the hospital after she had gone through some really difficult side effects. We were exhausted and feeling defeated. I asked Emme how she was feeling.
She looked at me and said, “Joyful.”
I asked her why.
She said, “Because you and daddy are here with me and the doctors are taking care of me.”
That moment changed me. It showed me how she sees the world—and how much we still have to learn from her.
Emme is strong, resilient, and full of light. She finds happiness in the simplest things—coloring, doing makeup, dancing, and singing. Recently, she’s started playing “doctor” at home, using her toy medical tools to care for her dolls, including one without hair just like her.
Even when things feel impossible, she faces them with confidence and joy.
Our Hopes for Emme
More than anything, we hope that Emme continues to tolerate treatment well and that her cancer never comes back.
We hope she grows up to live a full, happy life.
And we hope that, somehow, this experience leaves a lasting positive impact on her—that the strength, perspective, and joy she has shown through all of this will stay with her forever.
Why We Share Emme’s Story
We share Emme’s story because childhood cancer is something no family should have to face—but too many do.
We share it because research saves lives.
And we share it because of Emme—our joyful, brave, incredible little girl—who continues to show us every day what it means to find light, even in the darkest places.
Learn more about our new fundraising initiative, the backpack challenge, inspired by the blinatumomab treatment Emme received. Together, we can fuel more research breakthroughs for kids like her.
