Emma's Story

In 2019, when Emma was just 6 years old, she had her first seizure – evidence, it turned out of inflammation in her brain caused by an infection. The once typical little girl quickly became very ill. She had constant headaches and began to lose ground developmentally, no longer talking or eating on her own. The infection in her brain required multiple hospitalizations, and after each one, she came to MWPH for rehabilitation.

“It really helped her to be at MWPH. She had a lot of hospital-related anxiety, and the MWPH therapists kept her calm and made her feel safe,” said Emma’s mom, Elena. “The MWPH team not only helped her walk again, eat again, and be more independent – they also helped her gain confidence in herself.”

Emma connected with Babs the therapy dog, who helped motivate her during therapy appointments. In April 2020, Emma transitioned from inpatient to outpatient at MWPH, participating in extensive physical, occupational, and speech therapy for 18 hours a week. She continues to meet with each of her therapists once a week to keep moving forward.

Today, 8-year-old Emma is back to doing the things she has always loved – reading, coloring, dolls, and dancing. “She wants to play all day long,” Elena said.