Emery or Emmylou as her mom and caregiver, Lauren, calls her, was born with Schizencephally, Septo Optic Dyslasian and Epilepsy. At birth, she was missing about 40% of her brain and at just a year old had a hemispherectomy to prevent seizures.
“Since her hemishpherectomy in 2016, Emmylou has not had a seizure,” said Lauren. “For those who don’t know, a hemispherectomy is when the damaged portion of a brain is disconnected or removed from the healthy side. This is done to prevent seizures that cannot be controlled by medication.”
Emmylou made a speedy recovery following the surgery and spent only nine days in the hospital. “Since her surgery she has learned so much and is seizure-free! We just started weaning her off her last seizure medication,” said Lauren.
“Emmylou loves to laugh and make silly noises,” said Lauren. “Music is her motivation, and hugs and kisses are her favorite. She often hugs therapists or doctors to get out of something she’s not interested in doing.”
Emmylou is able to be mobile with the help of her walker and manual wheelchair. “Her therapist at First Steps suggested we reach out to Numotion for her equipment and recommended the walker and chair,” said Lauren.
Her adaptive equipment helps her move and play, and makes it easier for her to attend school. “Emmylou’s
ATP at Numotion, Iggy, is the best,” said Lauren. “He is so easy to communicate with and always keeps us up-to-date. Plus, he made Emmylou's wheelchairs AMAZING!”
Lauren shared that it can be difficult to schedule doctors appointments given their location and they often have to travel quite a ways for treatment at the hospital, but seeing Emmylou hit a new milestone or learn a new skill makes it all worth it.