By Isabel Anderson, Cascades Regional Communications Manager

Emmi Bradley is a very spunky and outgoing five year old. Emmi’s mother, Stephanie Bradley describes her as, “the exact opposite of her big brother. She is loud and she may be shy at first, but when she gets comfortable she’s really out there.” Emmi loves to jump around, dance and do gymnastics. She loves to sing and come up with her own performances and she absolutely loves Disney. To sum it up, Emmi is all about princesses and is a ray of sunshine.

In May of 2023, a seemingly benign discovery turned into a long journey that no one in Emmi’s family was ready for. It all started when Stephanie noticed abnormal bruising on Emmi’s legs and face. Knowing that it looked more serious than the normal bruises of a clumsy toddler, she took Emmi to see the pediatrician. They were quick to find out that Emmi’s hemoglobin levels were extremely low as well as her platelet count. They sent her to the emergency room where further bloodwork showed she was low in neutrophils (the body’s immune system) and she was admitted.

A bone marrow biopsy discovered that she either had a form of leukemia or aplastic anemia. Further testing showed it was aplastic anemia. Every two to three days Emmi was getting blood and platelet transfusions. She was reliant on those transfusions until September of 2023 when she got a match and had a bone marrow transplant.

Stephanie recalls that before Emmi had her bone marrow transplant, “she was surviving on blood and platelet donations for an entire year of her life. From her initial appointment on May 12th, she spent 72 nights in the hospital, 37 appointments that weren’t part of overnight stays, and 17 anesthesia procedures”.

If she got a fever she would have to be automatically admitted because the aplastic anemia shut down her immune system and she had no way of fighting colds on her own. With every small cold she caught, she would need to spend 48 hours in the hospital receiving IV antibiotics. The hospital stays got longer and longer and before her bone marrow transplant, her stay was 25 days. Since the start of this treacherous journey, Emmi spent 159 days in the hospital.

After going through the many long and tough days at the hospital, Stephanie says that blood and platelet donations, “saved our daughters life so if you can, you should donate. And it’s not a one time thing, Emmi had 40 transfusions and that was just one person” Emmi has inspired her family members to donate blood and platelets knowing the profound impact it can have on others. Now, they hope that Emmi’s story inspires you as well.

You can be the one to help save the lives of others like Emmi Bradley and it all starts with your blood donation. On November 21st, a blood drive in honor of Emmi will be held at Hidden Creek Community Center from 9:30am to 2:30pm. You can schedule an appointment for this drive by clicking here.