Emma Peck has been the Pambula Merimbula Lions Club’s ‘Child of Courage’ since she was four and a more deserving child you will not find.

Emma is a beautiful young girl who loves playing with her friends, but unlike most children her age Emma has undergone numerous surgeries during her short life - with many more to come.

Emma was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, which is one of the most serious cardiac malformations and leads to death in almost all affected babies unless surgery or a heart transplant can be offered.

It was almost three weeks after Emma was born before her mother Kerrie Peck was able to hold her.

Emma remained in intensive care for three months before her parents took her home to be with her sisters, Chloe, Bianca and Lara.

However, when Emma was six months old she went into heart failure and was taken to The Children's Hospital at Westmead, where she stayed for seven months.

“When this happened the cardiologist said she was going to die,” Ms Peck said. “There was no way we were going to give up on her and by a miracle she came back to us.”

However, during her life-saving procedure there was a complication that Ms Peck said caused a mass chemical burn and damaged the growth plate in Emma’s leg.

“Emma’s right foot is covered in scar tissue,” Ms Peck said. “Because of the growth plate damage Emma’s legs are very different lengths.”

At the end of the year Emma will be undergoing a leg lengthening procedure, which will involved a doctor breaking her leg, inserting metal pins and then prying the bone apart.

Over a number of months the bones will heal and it is hoped that Emma’s right leg will become four to five centimetres longer.

“They will also perform a procedure to stop her other leg growing, we are hoping there will only be a 2cm difference in leg lengths at the end.”

This means Emma will be living in the wheelchair for at least six months.

Ms Peck said it will be a tough time for Emma who also suffers from various other medical problems. 

Emma also takes medication for hypoparathyroidism, has hemivertebra which is a spinal problem and has gastric reflux disease meaning she uses a jejunostomy tube (feeding tube) which starts outside her body, goes through her stomach, and into the midsection of her small intestine.

“This will not be the last surgery for Emma, we have been told she will probably need heart surgery when she is a teenager but we hope it will improve her quality of life,” Ms Peck said. 

WHEELCHAIR FROM LIONS

When Maureen Stokes from the Pambula Merimbula Lions Club heard of Emma’s surgery she knew she had to help.

Ms Stokes contacted her fellow Lions and without hesitation the club purchased a wheelchair.

The wheelchair is on loan to Emma until she no longer needs it, then Lions will pass it on to another needy child.

SWIMMING LESSONS

Emma won’t let her upcoming surgeries hold her back and is now begging her parents to let her learn to swim.

Unfortunately, mum Kerrie Peck said Emma’s surgeries and the constant travel to and from Sydney have put a huge strain on the Pecks’ finances making swimming lessons unaffordable.

If anyone would like to sponsor Emma’s swimming lessons please contact the News Weekly on 6495 3333 or email melanie.leach@fairfaxmedia.com.au.