Emmy’s Journey to Overcome Cancer, From Small Steps to Miraculous Leaps

When Emmy Cole was 2 years old, her mother noticed her struggling to walk. She grabbed her cell phone and tearfully recorded Emmy wince in pain as she took only a few, small steps. She knew something was terribly wrong with her daughter. Immediately after, they came to Seattle Children’s in search of answers. Emmy didn’t walk the rest of the day.

They received heartbreaking news. Dani and James Cole, Emmy’s parents, faced the unimaginable reality of helping their daughter through a devastating diagnosis: cancer.

On April 13, 2015, Emmy was diagnosed with high risk neuroblastoma.

Watch Emmy’s story from the beginning, from small, painful steps, to miraculous leaps.

Today, Emmy has a second chance at life. She has no signs of cancer.

According to Emmy’s parents, Seattle Children’s doctors and nurses saved their daughter’s life, but it was Seattle Children’s uncompensated care fund that saved theirs. Thanks to generous donors, her family never had to worry about how they’d cover her medical expenses.

In 2017, Seattle Children’s provided more than $164 million in financial assistance, or uncompensated care, to approximately 63,000 families. About 50% of Seattle Children’s patients receive some form of uncompensated care.

Below a map illustrates uncompensated care provided by Seattle Children’s in Washington, per county, in 2017.

 

Seattle Children’s founding promise is to care for every child in the region, regardless of their family’s ability to pay. In November, Seattle Children’s launched the largest campaign in Seattle Children’s 110-year history, It Starts With Yes: The Campaign for Seattle Children’s, to continue and build upon that same enduring goal. With your generous support, we can continue to provide financial assistance for families in need and say yes to more children like Emmy.