EmmeClaire was adopted from China in the summer of 2012 when she was 15 months old. Emme’s paperwork did not have any details on her diagnosis beyond “delayed.” When her family arrived in China and met her, they found out that Emme was unable to walk or crawl. Upon arriving home, Emme was seen at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Adoption Clinic where she quickly started receiving physical therapy services. In February of 2013, she was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.
After many hours of therapy and lots of hard work – Emme began walking on her own just one year after she arrived home. She also began speech therapy and was progressing well. As her mother, Beth says of the experience, “We were finally seeing her spitfire personality.”
The cornerstone of our Comprehensive Cerebral Palsy Program is the Interdisciplinary Team Clinic. Our families see a variety of specialists in a single clinic visit. These include Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics; Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation; Orthopedics; Nursing; Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy; and Nutrition.
In June 2014 while in Maryland on a family vacation, Emme had her first seizure, followed by several requiring hospitalizations. After successful treatment, EmmeClaire has now been two-years seizure-free.
“Emme has overcome so much in her short seven years. We have been impressed with the accessibility directly to the doctors for guidance, the time we have been provided to ask questions and the compassion they have all shown for Emme,” says Beth.
Emme loves being outside and playing, no matter the time of year or season. She loves books and is a great reader. This year she is in Kindergarten and loves being a Daisy Scout. She is excited to start her second season with the New York Yankees with the Central Ohio Miracle Baseball League.
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