When Emerson “Emme” and Elle were born at just 25 weeks gestation at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, doctors told their parents, Charissa and Kevin, that the twin girls had a 10% to 15% chance to survive. More bad news followed — both babies had large bleeds on the brain. Doctors determined that Elle’s condition would likely heal on its own, but Emme’s condition was so severe that it was unlikely that she’d ever walk or talk. Emme’s larger bleed in the back of her brain had caused hydrocephalus, an excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid.

At 21 days old, Emme had her first brain surgery, a subgaleal shunt placed to drain the excess cerebral fluid, as well as a neuro-endoscopic lavage procedure to wash out excess blood in the brain. The initial shunt did not perform as intended, so a second procedure was required to place a new permanent ventriculoperitoneal shunt to help relieve and prevent the pressure on her brain.

Though both babies were able to go home after 106 days in the hospital, the difficult journey continued for Emme. She needed two more surgeries to drain fluid from her brain — all before her first birthday. Then, before her second birthday, Emme began having multiple seizures a day and was diagnosed with epilepsy and cerebral palsy. Treatment for those conditions began for Emme, while Elle was coming into her own. “You could see the frustration building in Emme’s eyes watching her sister do all of the things that she wasn’t able to do,” says Charissa. “But I think that gave her more determination.”

At age 4, Emme had a fifth brain surgery, during which doctors placed a second shunt into her brain to successfully remove more fluid. That same year, she hit a huge milestone by walking independently for the first time.

By age 6, the medication for controlling Emme’s seizures stopped working. The family met with her care team to discuss a hemispherectomy, a procedure that disconnects one side of the brain from the other. “The doctors said ‘this is what we believe is the best thing to do for Emerson,’” says Kevin. “It was the easiest but scariest decision that we’ve ever had to make in our lives.”

In March of 2023, Emme underwent the procedure. Five days after the successful surgery, she was walking again.

Emme is now thriving, getting amazing math scores, joking with her friends, playing games and doing all of the things that a child her age should be doing. “She’s doing it all because of Johns Hopkins Children’s Center,” her father says.

Elle, who also had to overcome adversity early on, continues to thrive as well. She loves her sister, and is full of compassion and empathy — wanting to make sure no one ever feels left out.

“Although Emerson’s life may not look like rainbows and sunshine, she lives a great life — a life that she probably would not live if we had gone anywhere else (for care). And we always talk about Emerson thriving, but her twin sister was in the same boat,” Charissa says. “To see how far they both have come, it just blows my mind. It’s so amazing to watch.”