Emily

Nominated by Alison Ibarrondo, Care Coordinator – ECHO

Emily has been a beloved member of the CDTC family since the day she was born, beginning her journey in our primary care clinic over 21 years ago. She is medically fragile, living with cerebral palsy, epilepsy, multiple congenital anomalies, and blindness, just to name a few and faces incredible challenges every single day. Yet, through countless infections and life-threatening illnesses, Emily’s spirit remains unbreakable. Adopted by her amazing parents, Spring and Mat, and loved by her 2 older brothers who were also adopted and medically fragile, Emily against all odds and expectations, continues to fight with courage that inspires everyone around her.

Because of Emily’s complex medical needs, her primary care physician recommended the ECHO program to provide additional support and care for Emily and her family. Her care coordinator has been an invaluable and vital source of support for both Emily and her mom, Spring. Coordinating medical care, including referral management, reminder calls for appointments and assisting with the overwhelming amount of paperwork it takes to coordinate all of Emily’s medical care are just a few of the examples of how her care coordinator supports Emily and her family.

Her care coordinator along with Emily’s mom has ensured a successful healthcare transition by engaging with adult medical specialty providers including a new primary care physician.  Her adult PCP offers in-home medical care including lab draws which will tremendously help the family with Emily’s care.  Additionally, other resources have been put into place such as Medicaid waiver and ensuring all her equipment needs have been addressed.

Emily’s journey has not been easy, and she wouldn’t be where she is today without the relentless love and devotion of her mother, Spring. Spring’s tireless efforts to unite and lead Emily’s care team have ensured that Emily always receives the best possible care and advocacy. It is this fierce love that has been a beacon of hope and strength through every challenge.

Over these 2 decades, CDTC has been fortunate to provide a plethora of various programs to help support Emily, her siblings and her family, including early intervention, medical and dental care, developmental testing, health education, research opportunities, support groups and more. Now, as Emily graduates from pediatric care into the adult world, we find ourselves filled with pride and bittersweet emotion. We will deeply miss the presence of Emily and her family, but we carry with us the powerful example of their warrior spirit—a spirit that teaches us all what it means to fight, to hope, and to never give up. I proudly nominate Emily as our Hero of the Month.