April 14,
2008
In the early morning of April
14, 2008 Emily left this earth to be with the Lord. We are sad that she is no longer with us in
body and we will miss her more than words can say, but we choose to remember
the good times and we are thankful for the fourteen years we had with her. Emily had a wonderful life that was filled
with family, friends and a lot of happiness.
We will remember her sense of humor, her laugh, her bravery, her
strength and her beautiful smile. Emily
wanted to be a teacher when she grew up, and although she may not teach our
future children, she has taught all of those who knew her that you need to live
for the moment and make every day count.
All of the money that was so
generously donated towards “Emily’s Breath of Hope” will go to help other
children awaiting transplant. Even though Emily was not able to receive her “Breath of Hope,” we are sure she
would be happy to know that other children in need of a life saving transplant
will benefit from the funds raised to help her.
Emily’s last wish was to become an organ donor herself. Although her cystic fibrosis destroyed many
of her organs, Emily was able to give the gift of sight by donating her
corneas.
Emily, you are truly missed
and we take comfort in knowing that you are in a better place.
With all of our love,
Your Family and Friends
Arrangements
Wednesday night
from 7:00-9:00pm there will be a viewing at Rosewood-Kellum
Funeral Home, 631
North Witchduck Road in Virginia Beach.
Thursday
morning there will be a private burial. Funeral services will be held at 3:00
pm and reception to follow at New Life Providence Church,
1244 Thompkins Lane
in
I lieu of
flowers the family is asking that you consider becoming an organ donor. This can easily be done by logging on to http://www.save7lives.org. Donations can also be made to the Cystic
Fibrosis Foundation in honor of Emily by going to www.cff.org or sponsoring the family as they will be
walking in honor of Emily at the Great Strides walk for Cystic Fibrosis. You can sponsor the family by logging onto
the “Emily’s Breath of
Hope” team page.
(PilotOnline) (WVEC-13) (WAVY-10) (WTKR-3)
March 2008
Emily
was admitted to Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (CHKD) Monday, March
31st with what we thought was a “typical” infection, but by the next day, we
knew that it was much worse than usual.
Emily’s condition deteriorated to the point that she was ready to be
moved to
We
would like to thank everyone for all of your continued support, thoughts and
prayers. Please continue to pray that
Emily will overcome her current infection so that she can receive her “Breath
of Hope” in
June 2007
Emily is doing well and is still awaiting her transplant. In the past year, since all of you were so generous in helping Emily reach her goal, Emily and her family have been trying to settle down from the whirlwind of the campaign. Emily has been to St. Louis Children’s Hospital, where she will be receiving her transplant, a few times for her check ups. The doctors are pleased with her status at this time. Emily has also been hospitalized several times here locally for typical Cystic Fibrosis related infections and one time for some “maintenance surgery.” The surgery was to replace a port that she had outgrown, fix a hernia, and a stomach procedure to help with acid reflux. These procedures will help her to maintain her health and get her to transplant as strong as possible. Doctors can’t say how long it will be until she receives her transplant, but they will continue to evaluate her condition.
Emily continues to do the things she loves most. She still reads a lot and loves to play with her three sisters and many cousins. Also, she has been helping her “Papa,” (grandfather) teach computer to preschool children. Emily has a dream to one day become a teacher.
Again,
thank you all for your continued support. We could not have made it this
far without all of your thoughts and prayers.
April 2005
Last year Emily was told that her Cystic Fibrosis had
caused irreversible damage to her lungs and she would need a life saving double
lung transplant. Local doctors at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (CHKD)
referred Emily and her family to the
Faced with such a daunting task, we felt this would be a long journey. Our efforts began with a car wash on July 3, 2004 raising $777.87. With each new fundraising event more and more people in the community embraced Emily by offering their prayers, time, talents, and treasures. As Emily’s story began to spread the generosity went far beyond the limits of our community and across the nation. Incredibly just seven months later, thanks to you and everyone involved, our goal has been reached.
Our campaign focus now shifts from financial to organ donation. Without an
organ donor, all the money in the world will not give Emily her second chance
at life. Each day about 70 people receive an organ transplant, but
another 16 die because not enough organs are available. One donor can
potentially help more than 50 other people. Please consider becoming an
organ donor. Most states have a consent form built into their driver's
license program. For more information check your state’s website or you
can visit the
This campaign has truly been a life changing experience for everyone
involved. Words cannot express how much we have been touched by the
thoughtfulness of so many. Emily looks forward to doing things that a
healthy eleven year old can do without having to worry about running out of
breath. She has said that she just wants to be able to run again, go on
family canoe and camping trips, walk up and down stairs without getting winded
and just go outside and play. These shouldn’t be the wishes of a little
girl; she should be wishing for dolls, books, games, pretty dresses and
everything else that little girl’s dream of. Emily came up with the
slogan for her campaign all by herself “Emily’s Breath of Hope”- the ultimate
wish, the hope to breathe. From Emily’s entire family, we thank you for
not only giving Emily her “Breath of Hope” but also giving us the hope that we
will see her become that healthy little girl who’s wishes come true.
Now we wait for transplant. Emily remains on the transplant list and as
her cystic fibrosis progresses doctors will continue to monitor her
condition. When her lung function reaches 30% she will move to
Forever Grateful,
Emily’s Entire Family
We have met our financial goal!
