Emmy is a Star

Emmy went without oxygen at birth. The result was a brain injury that has left her with many challenges. After six long weeks in the NICU, she finally came home.

But we fight for her every day and we hope you will join us. On Feb. 12, 2011, Emerson Grace (AKA Emmy) came into the world by crash C-section. She was not moving or breathing, she was silent and she had no color. . .but she had a faint heartbeat, and that was something. We weren't given much information, other than we'd have to "wait and see". Unfortunately, it was evident from the very beginning that she hadn't escaped unscathed. We still aren't certain of her future, but we know where she has been and how far she's come. Although a baby's brain is very resilient, she has suffered significant setbacks. But she is working very hard to progress and has captured our hearts and the hearts of many others along the way. Emmy is one hard working little girl and keeps a crazy schedule. . .vision therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, developmental therapy, feeding therapy and a slew of other alternative therapies are all part of every week. . .she usually has 12-15 hours of therapy every week. She also has a team of doctors including a Pediatrician, a Pulmonologist, two Neurologists, a Gastroenterologist, an Otolaryngologist, an Opthamologist, an Audiologist, a Urologist and an Orthopedist. She's endured multiple hospital stays in her short life thus far and somehow manages to spend every birthday in the hospital. We're hoping to change that this year! Her current diagnoses include: Hypoxic Eschemic Encepalopathy (HIE), Cerebral Palsy (CP), Epilepsy, Cortical Vision Impairment (CVI), Chronic Lung Disease, Dysphagia, Failure to Thrive (FTT) and GERD. Despite all of this, we have hope for her future and will do anything for her. She has already come a long way. . .not on the typical milestone chart. . .but in her own special way. Stay tuned to this page for updates on Emmy's therapies and progress. Thank you for following and supporting us on our journey!

04/03/2026

The worst part of a g-ma visit is when she leaves. We miss you already. 😢

04/02/2026

Father-daughter band practice. . . is exhausting. (She’s playing the drum using a head switch and switch-adapted drum.)

04/02/2026

Beach + G-ma = Pure Joy

03/31/2026

I don’t really share much about the medical side of Emerson’s journey now that she’s older and I try to respect her privacy. But I asked her if could share about our quick springbreak trip and she was cool with it.

Every year for the last decade, we’ve traveled to Surprise, Arizona (a suburb of Phoenix) for an appointment with a naturopathic doctor named Dr. Proefrock at his clinic Total Wellness Medical Center. Dr. P’s background is in biochemistry and he provides a unique mix of extensive knowledge on both pharmacological and plant medicines, the latest innovations in scientific treatments and supplementation and a level of kindness and honesty rarely found in the medical world.

We spend hours with him at this appointment discussing what is and isn’t working for Emerson from a medical perspective, any major issues she is contending with, recent lab work, etc so he can provide guidance on helping her attain optimum health, comfort and function.

During this appointment, he also extracts and processes a small fat sample to isolate Emerson’s own stem cells and reintroduces it back into her body through an injection in her sacral foramen (lower back) and intra-nasally (nose). We leave with updated customized supplements to support her overall health and wellness and a plan.

It’s genuinely one of the highlights of our year and we’ve watched how much her health, immunity, digestion, respiratory, and strength have improved over the years as a result of this specialized care. For us, naturopathic and conventional (Western) medicine work together quite effectively, each addressing different dimensions of Emerson’s health with naturopathic medicine addessing nutrition, inflammation, gut health, and quality of life in ways conventional care often doesn’t have time or the knowledge base to focus on.

Adventures through the desert with grandma with stops in Palm Springs are pretty fun too. . . but she’s always ready to come home.

03/31/2026

Spring break activated.

03/27/2026

“In a society of many AAC-owners (but not users), Emerson is a true AAC user. She absolutely relies upon the presence of her AAC system and has been observed to become quite agitated (e.g., yelling) if she doesn’t have access to her system. Her family ensures she has consistent access to her electronic communication system in all contexts, environments and activities of her daily life.”

Found this little nugget of wisdom in an annual AAC Progress Report from Emmy’s awesome SLP and it got me thinking.

So often I get asked about what device Emmy uses, and occasionally I get asked about who her SLP is, but nothing else about her communication journey. It seems the hope is that there’s a magic device out there that makes complex AAC users talk. I wish that were the case. And while a wonderful SLP like we have is very important, I’d say without our commitment to giving my access to her device always, we wouldn’t be where we are now.

So my top advice is to find a great SLP, determine the best access method, language set and device for your child. But here’s the key, commit with all your heart to keeping that device and all its components fully functioning and charged, set up and with the user all day every day. And don’t forget low tech for when your user needs different options.

03/22/2026

A lovely day from start to finish courtesy of Adaptive Freedom Foundation. Thank you, Amy, Matt and all of the amazing volunteers who give generously of their time, energy, heavy lifting and paddling to give families like ours awesome, relaxing days on the water. You’ve filled our hearts and cleansed our souls yet again. We are so grateful and anxiously await the next time. 💦🩷

03/21/2026

First dip of the year. 💦

03/20/2026

Best time at the school “Block Party” with the best team! Can’t say enough about Emerson’s amazing crew always there to support her in learning, socializing, having fun, staying safe and living her best life at school!

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5070 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA
90027

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http://www.linktr.ee/emmyisastar

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Mary Kay Cocharo, MFT
11500 W. Olympic, Suite 614

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Los Angeles?

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