Four-month-old Emma Shurko has faced more pain, surgeries, and hospital days than most people will experience in a lifetime. Born with an incredibly complex heart defect, she has spent every day of her brief life fighting to survive, while her parents pray each night that her little heart will continue to beat until morning.
“She’s so tiny,” her mother says softly, “and yet she’s already survived more than most adults ever will.”
A Delicate Start
Emma’s journey began even before her first breath. During her mother’s pregnancy, doctors detected irregularities in her heart, but nothing could prepare her family for the challenges they would face after her birth.
The diagnosis was daunting, filled with alarming medical terms: dextrocardia, transverse ventricular tachycardia, VSD, aortic arch hypoplasia, and juxtaposition of the atrial appendages. In simpler terms, Emma’s heart was not only malformed but also positioned on the right side of her chest, with the major blood vessels reversed.
“It felt like the world collapsed around us,” her mother recalls. “We didn’t even have time to hold her before doctors took her away for emergency treatment.”
A Heart in Crisis
At just 12 days old, Emma underwent her first significant surgery — an aortic angioplasty to widen her narrowed aorta, along with restructuring the main vessels and banding her pulmonary artery to stabilize blood flow.
The operation was long and frightening. Her parents waited anxiously outside the operating room, holding onto hope. When the doors finally opened, the news was bittersweet — the surgery had been successful, but Emma was unable to breathe on her own. She was placed on a ventilator, surrounded by a web of tubes and machines keeping her alive.
“Seeing her like that… so small, so still,” her mother says through tears, “it broke me. All I could do was sit by her bed and pray.”
Challenges and Bravery
The following days were filled with fear and exhaustion. When doctors attempted a second procedure to tighten the pulmonary artery band and remove a surgical needle left in the mediastinum, Emma’s condition did not improve. Her oxygen levels remained critically low, and she still required breathing support.
Then came another devastating blow: paralysis of one vocal cord and part of her diaphragm.
Emma’s medical team remained determined. At just two months old, she underwent diaphragm surgery — a risky but essential procedure to help her breathe independently.
This time, it was successful. For the first time since her birth, Emma took a breath on her own.
“It was the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard,” her mother smiles faintly. “Her first real breath — her first step toward life.”
The Path to Healing
After nearly three months in the hospital, Emma was finally strong enough to return home. However, the battle is far from over.
She takes multiple medications daily and continues to be fed through a tube, as her tiny body hasn’t yet learned to coordinate swallowing. She now requires intensive rehabilitation to learn how to feed from a bottle — a simple task most babies master naturally, but one that could take Emma months to achieve.
Her vocal cord paralysis still causes breathing and feeding challenges, and another heart surgery is on the horizon. Her parents live in constant anxiety, knowing that every cough or faint cry could signal another setback.
“We try to be strong for her,” her mother says, “but some nights, I just hold her and cry. She’s been through so much.”
A Heartfelt Request
The family’s savings have been depleted by hospital stays, medications, travel, and specialized therapies. Yet they understand that rehabilitation and ongoing cardiac care are essential for their daughter’s future.
They are now reaching out — humbly and desperately — for assistance.
“We’ve witnessed miracles through the kindness of strangers,” her father says. “We’re asking for another one — for Emma.”
Every donation, every act of kindness, brings Emma one step closer to the life she deserves — one filled with laughter, play, and peace instead of hospital walls and monitors.
Hope Resides in Her Little Heart
Despite everything, Emma is a warrior. Her eyes shine, her grip is strong, and her spirit is unyielding. She smiles when her parents sing to her, blissfully unaware of the struggles within her tiny body.
“We believe things will improve,” her mother says. “She’s already shown she’s stronger than anyone imagined.”
Now, it’s time to give her a chance to continue proving it.
💖 Please, help us fight for Emma — our little girl with the brave heart.
Every contribution is a heartbeat of hope, keeping her tiny miracle alive.
