GIRL
GIRL THAT
GIRL THAT WE HAD BEEN WAITING FOR AND EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT
WITH HER, WE HAD A
HEALTHY NATURAL
HEALTHY NATURAL
PREGNANCY
PREGNANCY AND DELIVERY AND SHE WAS JUST THIS HAPPY LITTLE
ADDITION TO OUR FAMILY.
EMMA CASE WAS BORN
IN JUNE 2016.
SHE WAS WELCOMED
WITH LOVE BY MOM, DAD
AND TWO BIG BROTHERS.
SHE WAS A SEEMINGLY
HEALTHY BABY, BUT AS
THE MONTHS WENT BY,
HER PARENTS MEGAN
AND DREW NOTICED
SOMETHING WAS WRONG.
MAGGIE O'MARA HAS THE
STORY OF THIS LITTLE
MERIDIAN GIRL, WHO IS
ALREADY MAKING A
DIFFERENCE AT THE AGE
OF THREE.
MEGAN BY ABOUT 8
MONTHS
MONTHS WE
MONTHS WE KNEW THAT SOMETHING WASN'T QUITE RIGHT.
DREW I DON'T THINK
ANYONE WAS THINKING IT
COULD BE WHAT SHE WAS
DIAGNOSED WITH.
MEGAN AND DREW CASE
TRIED TO GET ANSWERS
ABOUT WHAT WAS
WRONG WITH BABY THEIR
BABY GIRL, EMMA. AS THE
MONTHS WENT BY, SHE
WASN'T WALKING, OR
TALKING.
WE DID WHAT WE WERE
TOLD NOT TO DO AND
GOOGLED HER TRAITS
AND HER SYMPTOMS AND
THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME
WE HEARD ANYTHING
ABOUT
ABOUT RETT SYNDROME. AT THAT POINT WE KNEW WE NEEDED TO SEEK OUT
GENETIC TESTING.
YEAH, I THINK WE KNEW, I
THINK WE KNEW.
EMMA'S MOM AND DAD
WERE RIGHT, SHE WAS
DIAGNOSED WITH RETT
SYNDROME.
RETT SYNDROME IS A
GENETIC MUTATION THAT
TAKES PLACE IN GIRLS
AND EFFECTS THE X
CHROMOSOME.
IT TAKES ON TRAITS THAT
LOOK A LOT LIKE
CEREBRAL PALSY, AUTISM,
EPILEPSY, ANXIETY
DISORDER... SO IT OFTEN
GOES MISDIAGNOSED.
IT EFFECTS EVERY PART OF
HER LIFE EVERY DAY, SHE
CAN'T CURRENTLY WALK
OR TALK AND THE
LIKELIHOOD IS SHE WON'T
BE ABLE TO DO THOSE
THINGS IN HER LIFETIME.
THE CASES SAY TELLING
THEIR YOUNG SONS
WASN'T EASY.
I REMEMBER THE NIGHT
WE GOT THE DIAGNOSIS...
THAT
THAT WAS
THAT WAS REALLY HARD TO TELL THEM AND WE
WERE
WERE BOTH
WERE BOTH CRYING AT THE TABLE, AND MY SON CAME TO ME AND SAID
MOMMA IT'S OKAY THAT
EMMA CAN'T WALK, I WILL
BRING HER ALL HER TOYS.
THEY HAVE JUST BEEN BY
HER SIDE AND THEY
KNOW THAT SHE DOES
THINGS DIFFERENTLY.
THEY KNOW THAT SHE
DOESN'T WANT TO BE
LEFT OUT.
LEFT OUT.
EMMA
EMMA IS
EMMA IS NOW THREE YEARS OLD, AND HER PARENTS ARE SHARING
HER JOURNEY WITH THE
WORLD.
WE REALLY WANTED TO
BRING EDUCATION THAT
WE DIDN'T HAVE TO OUR
FAMILY AND OUR
FRIENDS...
FRIENDS...
WE
WE DECIDED TO START A FACEBOOK PAGE SO PEOPLE COULD SEE THE
GOOD AND THE BAD OF
RETT SYNDROME.
IT'S CALLED EMMA'S
VILLAGE.
WE CAN ALL COME
TOGETHER AND SUPPORT
NOT ONLY EMMA... BUT
THE OTHER GIRLS IN OUR
COMMUNITY, IN THE
NATION AND IN THE
WORLD.
A FEW MONTHS AGO,
DREW, MEGAN AND
EMMA BOARDED A PLANE
TO DENVER.
COLORADO AND THE
DENVER AREA HAS A RETT
CLINIC.
LUCKILY WE WERE ABLE
TO MAKE IT OVER AND
MEET WITH THEM, THEY
WERE ABLE TO GIVE US A
LOT OF GREAT
INFORMATION THAT WAS
VERY SPECIFIC FOR EMMA.
PART OF THAT IS THAT
THEY EVALUATE HER FOR
THESE CLINICAL TRIALS.
THEY WERE SO EXCITED
ABOUT WHAT SHE IS ABLE
TO DO!!!
SHE CAN SIT UP AND
HOLD HER OWN TRUNK
AND SHE CAN FEED
HERSELF AND SHE SLEEPS
THROUGH THE NIGHT.
EMMA CAN STILL DO
SOME REALLY AMAZING
THINGS.
WE WANT EMMA TO BE
CURED AND RIGHT NOW
THERE IS NO CURE FOR
RETTS SYNDROME, IT IS A
LIFELONG DIAGNOSIS, BUT
THE SCIENTISTS AND THE
RESEARCHERS WITH THE
RETT SYNDROME
RESEARCH TRUST THINK
THEY ARE IN THREE YEARS
OF FINDING A GENETIC
CURE.
THE CASE'S ARE WORKING
TO RAISE MONEY FOR
THAT RESEARCH, RIGHT
NOW THEY ARE PLANNING
A FUNDRAISER CALLED
REVERSE RETT BOISE. IT'S
COMING UP IN
SEPTEMBER. EMMA'S
PARENTS ARE HAPPY TO
SHARE HER STORY, THEY
KNOW SHE CAN MAKE A
DIFFERENCE.
SHE IS THE HAPPIEST
SPUNKIEST LITTLE GIRL...
YOU JUST WANT TO PICK
HER UP AND CUDDLE HER,
SHE HAS THE SWEETEST
PERSONALITY.
THIS FAMILY IS HOPING
AND PRAYING FOR A
CURE.
EMMA MAY NOT KNOW IT
YET, BUT SHE IS ALREADY
SPREADING SO MUCH
AWARENESS.
WE WANT EMMA TO
KNOW THAT SHE IS LOVED
AND CARED FOR AND A
WANTED PART OF THIS
FAMILY AND SHE
CONTRIBUTES THINGS NO
ONE ELSE COULD
IF WE HAD GOTTEN
ANYBODY ELSE OTHER
THAN
THAN HER,
THAN HER, SHE WAS MEANT TO BE PART OF OUR FAMILY.
EMMA CASE, 7'S HERO.
THE REVERSE RETT BOISE
FUNDRAISER IS ON
SEPTEMBER 14TH.
EVERYONE IS INVITED!
FOR MORE INFORMATION
ON THE FUNDRAISER AND