Emma Isabella’s CDH Story
Hello! This is my story. My name is Emma Isabelle. My parents are from Puerto Rico. At 20 weeks of pregnancy, my mother found out that I had CDH. It was hard news for her since she had lost my three little brothers and she didn't want the same thing to happen to me. While she saw me grow and move in each sonogram, she was afraid of losing me, but I showed her that I was a warrior. In Puerto Rico, they told my mother that there was very little chance that I would survive because I needed to be connected to a machine called ECMO, and in Puerto Rico, they didn't have that type of machinery. Trembling, my mother looked for a second opinion and met this doctor named Dr. Lynch. She searched for information and found Dr. Kays, one of the best pediatric surgeons specializing in CDH located in St. Petersburg at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital. To save my life, my parents decided to leave the Island of Enchantment and come to the state of Florida. This is where everything happens!!!
Dr. Kays and his team see me for the first time. He tells my mother that I have a 97% chance of living. My mother with teary eyes tells him that she puts my life in his hands. After a long labor process, I was finally born on June 12, 2024, at 3:31 pm. At birth, I only had two minutes to live and they proceeded to resuscitate me. So here my marathon began. My first victory was that I defeated death.
My second victory was that I did not have to use an ECMO machine. Then I had the first attempt where they removed the oxygenation tube on June 25, 2024, but I did not succeed, I still needed more time. So I continued fighting until I achieved my third victory, they removed the oxygenation tube on July 1, 2024, and there I saw the faces of my parents and grandparents. They were shining with pride. My fourth victory was that I managed to be connected to a cannula that offered me 0.4 oxygen and I tolerated it. Now I continue running the marathon to be able to eat on my own since today I have a little help from a G-tube but I know that I will also make it.
But I will let you know that now I am happy because I managed to be with my parents. So I had my fifth victory and was being discharged. Now I am 3 months old. Anyway, this is a little of my story but I know that soon I will be able to tell more of my achievements over the years. With this, I tell you not to give up and never lose your faith. We are warriors of CDH. Thank you, Tiny Hero, for your grain of sand, you will help me to be closer to my family on my island of enchantment.
