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My daughter, Emily, was nicknamed “woman with an attitude” when she was only six hours old. This is how a flight nurse described her as Emily fought to stay alive. Emily was born in full cardiac arrest. She was revived and resuscitated with emergency I-V medications and multiple defibrillations to her heart. Our family was told there was a very strong chance that she would not survive her first days of life, but fifteen years later she embraces each day with a sweet spirit and strong determination.
Emily has a rare form of Long QT Syndrome, a cardiac conduction defect which causes her heart to beat in complex, life-threatening arrhythmias. She received her first pacemaker when she was five weeks old. At the age of four, Dr. Randall Bryant, Pediatric Cardiologist, Director of Interventional Electrophysiology and Pacing, implanted an automatic internal cardiac defibrillator to control her dangerous heart rhythm. She was one of the youngest at that time to receive such a device.
I have no doubt that Emily has survived because of the wonderful care and dedication of Dr. Bryant and his staff. She has needed lead wire and device surgeries about every two years. She has had multiple life-saving shocks from her defibrillator and many hospitalizations. Emily never complains about these procedures or the many medications she takes every day to keep her heart stable. Instead, she is a constant reminder that every day is a gift to be embraced.
Like all children, Emily had dreams. And two simple rites of childhood…riding a bike and walking her dog were her BIG DREAMS. Lots of physical therapy at Wolfson and a custom designed bike from two special donors, Linda and Vince Ferrigno, helped to make those dreams come true. A frequent sight in her San Marco neighborhood is Emily walking her dog, Lady, or riding her bike. Nothing has brought me a bigger smile than seeing my daughter, Emily, just be a kid with a bike and a dog. |
