Nine-month-old Parsippany girl battling stroke, cancer

PARSIPPANY – And though she be but little, she is fierce.

The oft-quoted William Shakespeare line has become the rallying cry of a nine-month-old Parsippany girl battling cancer and recovering from a stroke in a Philadelphia Children’s Hospital.

Emma Wyman’s parents, A.J. and Lindsey, call their daughter their “little warrior” after all she’s been through in the past few months, and her story has inspired thousands of “Emma’s Angels” to follow her story and donate to help the family.

Emma’s tumor was discovered on May 31, and after weeks in and out of hospitals, full of uncertainty and inconclusive biopsies, doctors determined she had an undifferentiated sarcoma in late June.

By then Emma was at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and set to begin her first round of chemotherapy.

But 30 seconds into her first treatment, Emma began to make strange noises. It looked like she was choking, then she threw up, and finally her heart stopped. Doctors were able to revive Emma, whose heart stopped for about a minute, but Lindsey and A.J. were told she may have suffered brain damage.

Emma was kept in a heavily sedated state for about a week, during which A.J. and Lindsey waited to hear what happened to their little girl. After she started suffering repetitive seizures, an EEG revealed she had suffered a stroke due to the lack of oxygen in her brain when her heart stopped.

“Now we had our baby with cancer and a stroke, in danger of more seizures and brain damage,” A.J. said. “It’s horrible what she’s been through.”

The stroke in the right side of her brain most seriously affected the left side of her body, making mobility in that side difficult. Doctors told A.J. and Lindsey that it might take years to find out how much she would be able to recover, including if she would be able to walk.

“They said we wouldn’t know for sure for years, but the life she was supposed to have probably won’t happen,” A.J. said. “It was a big kick in the butt.”

Emma’s first full chemotherapy session began July 17, the day she turned nine months old.

Later that week, the couple would celebrate their three year wedding anniversary. They shared Chinese food in Room 720, the same number as their wedding date, 7/20, and were delighted to see their daughter gripping toys and lifting her head for a few seconds.

A.J. and Lindsey have some difficult choices to make in the coming weeks - they don’t know whether or not the drug that is typically the safest and most effective is what caused Emma’s reaction - but they hope the worst is behind them.

Emma is moving back and forth from the Oncology wing to the Seashore House, a children’s rehab center, as needed.

She’s working on speech, occupational, and physical therapy – relearning to speak, eat, and use the left side of her body - and is progressing nicely.

“She’s smiling and talking, responding well, getting back to where she was,” A.J. said. “She’s doing something new every day, starting to come back. She was blowing raspberries like I taught her to the other day and just started drinking from her bottle on her own. And all the while she’s still going through chemo.”

Lindsey, a sixth grade social studies teacher at Brooklawn Middle School in Parsippany, is staying down in Philadelphia with Emma full-time because she’s off for the summer. A.J., a corrections officer at the Morris County Jail, said he’s working when he can but his colleagues have been very understanding of his situation, allowing him to be flexible and work as his stressful and unpredictable schedule allows.

The Wymans post updates of their daughter’s progress to “Emma’s Angels,” a Facebook group of nearly 2,000. On the page, videos of Emma laughing with her parents in her hospital bed regularly get thousands of views.

“Emma’s Angels” have also helped the Wyman family financially through a YouCaring crowdfunding website. The funds raised help the family with medical bills, travel expenses, and provides financial security in case one person has to take time off work.

“I didn’t think we needed a fundraiser at first, but after Emma’s heart stopped, our friends stepped in and said ‘you need this,’” A.J. said. “I just didn’t realize it until we were knee deep in it.”

A.J. and Lindsey try to post daily on Facebook and make several journal entries to the YouCaring website per week, as a way to thank all who have been cheering for Emma.

“In a very short time we have gone from getting used to being first-time parents, to needing to learn how to be parents for a child with pediatric cancer, to needing to learn to accept that we will now be parents for a child with cancer who has also suffered a stroke,” read one recent post. “But we are the proud parents of the sweetest girl in the world who is a perfect combination of princess and warrior.”

In updates, A.J. and Lindsey share the highs and lows of chemotherapy, rehab, and moving from floor to floor in the hospital, while providing peeks into Emma’s days, like how she likes to sleep with her stuffed pink elephant “Wubbanub.”

They detail the troubling times, like when Emma’s white blood cell count dropped from 6,992 to 9 during chemotherapy, or having to fight back tears when telling physical therapists they want their daughter to do all she was able to do prior to suffering a stroke.

The concerted effort to share Emma’s progress has resulted in more than $80,000 in donations.

“Emma’s gotten tons of support. I couldn’t believe it when the site took off,” A.J. said. “We had $25,000 in 24 hours, and messages from people all around the country.”

A T-shirt campaign is also helping raise money. The yellow shirts feature a design of Emma’s face and the words “Emma’s Angels” on the front with the “She is fierce” Shakespeare quote on the back.

“This girl is amazing. She makes me look at life totally different,” A.J. said. “She’s going through so much and smiles through it all, going to sleep ready for more the next day.”

The YouCaring website and T-shirts are among the fundraising campaigns being led by family friends John Pannucci and Jackie Forte.

Forte said she has a nephew with neuroblastoma, so she knew how costly the medical bills get and saw firsthand how much a crowdfunding campaign can help.

“Things took off from there. I never expected that response that came, but people really know and care about A.J. and Lindsey and Emma,” Forte said. “I just put a central location together and others are offering so much. There will be other stuff happening in the future.”

A bar crawl through Morristown on Sept. 19 is among the upcoming events planned. Details are still being finalized, but Forte said people can check the YouCaring and Facebook pages for updates. She hopes the Wymans will be able to attend.

The Wymans hope to bring Emma home by the end of summer, though they will have to return to the hospital periodically for chemotherapy.

“A week ago we were told she might not walk and now she’s on her way,” A.J. said. “If it’s a long haul, so be it.”

Lindsey hopes her daughter’s courage in fighting her disease can inspire others to do the same.

“Our daughter encourages us when we feel defeated, by facing each obstacle with innate grace and determination,” Lindsey said. “She gives meaning to the word 'hope'. She has sparked a mass community outpouring of generosity and caring that has filled our hearts with love and humbled us immensely.”

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannettNJ.com

Go to http://www.youcaring.com/emma-marie-wyman-389549 to donate or to http://www.booster.com/emmamariewyman to purchase an Emma’s Angels T-shirt.

Go to https://www.facebook.com/emmamarie1018?fref=ts&ref=br_tf for more pictures, video, and updates on Emma’s progress.