Emmett’s Story inspires our charity
Meet Emmett, the little boy that started us off on this magical journey
Emmett was two and a half years old in July 2018 when his parents noticed he had a lump. His GP referred him for an urgent ultrasound scan followed by a referral to the local paediatric oncology hospital. Emmett underwent surgery to remove the lump about two weeks after its discovery. On August 14th, 2018, the results of the surgery came back – the mass was cancerous, and Emmett was diagnosed with a stage one Germ Cell Tumour.
The specialists appeared confident that the surgery had been sufficient to conquer this cancer but after monitoring Emmett for approximately one month, his blood results showed that this was not the case. Further scans revealed that the cancer had metastasised and had spread to his lungs, abdomen and lymph nodes. He started several months of gruelling chemotherapy treatment which resulted in many nasty side effects; along with losing his hair, he had severe sickness, mucositis (inflammation of the mucous membranes, such as in the mouth) and multiple infections worsened by neutropenia (low levels of white blood cells which help the body fight infection). In March 2019, Emmett was given “complete remission” status. He continues to be closely monitored for long-term chemotherapy effects and relapse for the foreseeable future.
Due to the critical illness that Emmett had fought and the period of his childhood that he had lost Emmett was eligible for a wish through a wish granting charity. His dream was to meet his heroes Scooby Doo and the gang at Universal Studios in Florida. Make A Wish UK made this possible and in September 2019 Emmett, his baby sister and mum and dad, set off to Florida, USA, where they had the most magical week of their lives.
They stayed at Give Kids the World which is a “kids’ village” that is exclusively for wish children and their families. Give Kids the World is one of the happiest places on the planet and they made sure that Emmett and his family had the most incredible week, enjoying a much-needed break away together after such a challenging year, and making life-long memories.
Hugely inspired by the unique and wonderous retreat that is Give Kids the World, Emmett’s mum, Amy, came home determined to find a way to create something similar for other Wish Kids and their families in the UK. She felt that they deserve the same incredible opportunity that her family had experienced. A year of planning later and Emmett’s Genies was born. This registered charity has started small but will build until it can finally offer its vision of a wish kids’ village in England and the opportunity to bring joy and long-lasting memories to families and their wish kids.
Our vision
Our eventual goal is to have an all-inclusive wish village, where critically ill children and their families can come and stay and switch off completely, be a million-miles from the hospital environment they are so used to, allowing them to make life-long memories together in a safe environment.
