Emmie was a monoamniotic-monochorionic twin who was born at 31 weeks. She was 3lbs 6oz and 15 inches long. Her twin sister Ella was born less than 10 seconds later and was 3lbs even and 15 inches long. Their umbilical cords became twisted and knotted with over a dozen knots before their birth. Emmie suffered a lack of oxygen and was diagnosed with severe spastic quad cerebral palsy. Ella suffered no health issues by the grace of God. Emmie had tracheostomy surgery at just shy of 2 months when she finally weighed 4.5 lbs. She was placed on a home ventilator at about 8 months. She never learned to walk, talk, roll over, reach for things, or do anything a child her age should do. But she was the absolute joy of our family's life. Emmie loved jellyfish and butterflies, and her favorite pastime was praying with me several times daily. She loved going to church and sitting on the very front row. She loved watching the jellyfish from the Monterey Aquarium on her tablet, and we dreamed of one day taking a trip to California to see them in person. She loved music and watching TV. Her favorite color was purple; she had the most beautiful curly hair and big brown eyes. She lived a relatively healthy life, with the time between hospital stays measured in years. In March 2022, she was admitted for blood pressure issues they determined later were due to sepsis. She had an infection in her knee joint unknown to us or the multiple doctors who had seen her in the weeks before. She had her leg amputated at the knee to save her life. Still, within a few short days, she contracted a fungal infection in her blood through her central line, and she ultimately went to be with Jesus on March 19, 2022, at the age of 17. We miss her more than I can even begin to explain, and our lives will never be the same without her.
