“Baby Stephanie” – Twelve years of Recreation and Respite
In 2013, when two-month-old Baby Stephanie was released from hospital, she was not ready to go home. Her inoperable heart condition meant complex medical care needs, and demands her first-time parents were not prepared for. Her dad worked two jobs and long hours. Without Emily’s House, her mom would have been home alone and struggling. Baby Stephanie celebrated her six-month birthday at Emily’s House with birthday cake, toys and staff making it happen. Like most babies, Stephanie smiled, chattered and was attentive to her surroundings, but she still had a challenging prognosis. As with any child who knows she is loved, Stephanie’s eyes would light up when she would recognize her dad’s face as he came through the front door at Emily’s House. Her mother explained at that time that it was almost like being at home: “We celebrate her birthday every month because for us it’s a miracle that she’s still alive…. It’s a great experience that we are here. It’s amazing.”
After almost one year of care at Emily’s House as a baby, Stephanie stabilized enough to go home.
In 2025, Stephanie is not a baby anymore. For twelve years, she has been returning to Emily’s House for Recreation and Respite visits. She arrives on site like a tiny rockstar, who takes over the house as if it’s her second home, … because it is. Over the years, she has been swaddled by our first Nurse Manager, enjoyed countless princess and Halloween dress-up parties, met Miss Universe, attended the first Emily’s House Family Prom dance party, contributed to the big Emily’s House community tile mosaic project during the pandemic from her home, issued a loving Mother’s Day “benediction” to all our hospice moms, and, loved our staff and volunteers as much as they love her.
And best of all, we will see her again very soon! Sometimes hospice is filled with small miracles: our young people.
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