Emma Malherek

St. Louis Children’s Hospital

In early 2005, Emma developed a large bump on her face, tha looked like mumps.  When antibiotics failed, Emma went to a specialist that immediately identified the bump as a tumor. Emma and her family were sent to St. Louis Children’s Hospital for further testing, where they were told that Emma had an aggressive from of leukemia, AML.  Emma’s cancer was in stage 4, giving her a 20% chance of survival.

Emma endured several rounds of chemotherapy and was prepared to undergo a bone marrow transplant. On 5/26/05, Emma received a bone marrow transplant from her older sister, Abby, who was a perfect match for transplant.  She spent 100 days in solitude following her transplant, followed by weekly tests and visits to St. Louis Children’s Hospital.  She is now doing very well and visits the hospital every three months for simple check ups.

The fact that her sister was a perfect match was a miracle in itself, but Abby herself is her family’s first miracle. Abby was born severely disabled and doctors told her parents she wouldn’t make it a year. Abby defied all odds and is now 13 and a joy to her family. As her Mom describes her, “she’s perfect!”