PARKER CITY, Pa. (EYT) — The story of three-year-old Emily Lynn Glennon is many things. It is heart-rending, sad, and difficult, but it is also very inspiring and miraculous.

Emily, who lives with her family in Parker City, Armstrong County, has Spastic Quadriplegia Cerebral Palsy and is considered non-verbal. Spastic quadriplegia is the most severe form of cerebral palsy, affecting all four limbs.

She was born premature at 29 weeks and weighed just 2 pounds, 4 ounces.

Her mother, Alisha Diets, knew something was wrong when she had her ultrasound tests and every technician became quiet.

Alisha was inspired to write the story of her daughter in the hopes of sharing it with others and raising awareness about the disease.

Doctors told Alisha that she may have to give birth through a Caesarean section, which she did. Alisha said she did not hear Emily crying, and doctors had to put her into an incubator and hooked her up to machines to help her breathe and monitor her heart rate.

“She was so tiny and little but such a beautiful baby,” Alisha said.

A brain scan revealed extensive damage. Doctors told Alisha that Emily would never be able to walk or communicate.

After Alisha was given the choice of taking Emily home or having her placed in a children’s nursing home, Alisha said that her daughter would go home with her.

“From there, they trained me in all the monitors she would be sent home with. She had an apnea monitor because her heart rate would go extremely low when she would sleep or sometimes when she ate. She also had an oxygen machine that was set at the highest setting to help her breathe comfortably,” Alisha said.

When Emily was six months old, she began therapy through early intervention services. She had global developmental delay, meaning she was behind schedule in reaching milestones that include rolling, crawling, or sitting.

“We began with physical therapy, and then as she got older, we added on more and more therapies,” Alisha said.

When Emily was 1 1/2 years old, the family received her diagnosis of cerebral palsy, which is a group of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affects body movement and coordination.

Cerebral palsy is caused by damage or abnormalities inside the developing brain that disrupts the brain’s ability to control movement and maintain posture and balance.

“The doctor told us that she had quad spastic cp, and it meant that all four limbs would be affected. Spastic quadriplegia is the most severe case of cerebral palsy and is often associated with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities.”

“Children will often have severe stiffness in their limbs but have a floppy neck. They are rarely able to walk, and speaking and communication is a difficult challenge,” Alisha said.

Still, the rehabilitation efforts continued.

“Emily now does four different therapies which include physical, occupational, vision, and speech.”

“We were having in-home therapy until she started school this year. So, she now receives these therapies at school. Every one of her therapists has been amazing!”

“The ones we had to say goodbye to when she turned three had taught me so much, and I will be forever grateful to them for being such wonderful, knowledgeable, caring people! Emily now has an excellent team of therapists at school and have worked with Emily and me so well throughout our transition.”

When Emily was two, she and her family were at the Wexford Children’s Rehabilitation & Physical Medicine for her wheelchair fitting.

A doctor examining Emily asked Alisha if she had been told about dystonia.

“She (the doctor) said dystonia often distorts the bone growth and causes the limbs (arms and legs) to grow oddly causing in deformities. Having this type of cp is characterized by slow and uncontrollable jerking movements of the hand, feet, arms, and legs. Hyperactivity in the muscles of the face and tongue make some children grimace or drool.”

“They find it difficult to sit straight or walk. Some children like my Emily often have a problem controlling their breathing and coordinating the muscle movements required for speaking.”

“When I got home, I researched it and found that braces and splints would help with the right growth of her bones. I was relieved that we had already pushed for braces for the feet and wrist splints, so we were already on top of this thing.”

Emily’s health problems also have an impact on her sight.

She was diagnosed with Cortical Vision Impairment which is due to a brain injury.

“Emily is considered legally blind; she will respond to lights, Mylar, red and yellow colors  because these are all high contrast images so it makes them easier to see. She has done well in vision therapy, and I have learned a lot since we got this diagnosis.”

Emily’s challenges are numerous. She is unable to crawl, sit up, or walk on her own, but she can say a few words like bath and Billy, her older brother’s name.

“Billy is one great little kid. He loves his sister so much; he isn’t afraid to hold her or pick her up.”

“He sees what Emily goes through and is always there to help her, and oh how Emily loves her brother Billy. All you have to do is say his name and she is all smiles.”

Emily continues to be an inspiration to her family and her teachers at RIU6.

“Little Emily has been a huge inspiration to our family! She has fought so hard to be in this world and even with her having cerebral palsy she is always all smiles. She wakes up every day and battles to do the simplest things but she does it with a smile!”

“We have gotten stares, and people seem to feel the need to pity us. We want people to understand her and accept her for the wonderful person she is. She did not choose to be born with cp, and I hope after reading her story, you see how strong someone a little different can be!”

Emily does have a wheelchair and bath chair, but there are many things she doesn’t have that could make her life better.

“Emily’s father, Tony, works very hard hanging drywall and construction to support us, but since she needs around the clock care, I can’t work, so there are some things we need for Emily.”

When Alisha’s high school friend heard Emily’s story, she set up a fundraiser at https://www.crowdrise.com/emilys-smile.

“I was shocked and so happy. No one has ever reached out to us before. We have always felt so alone and didn’t want to ask others for help because I had a fear no one would care.”

“She set everything up, telling Emily’s story, and we were blessed enough to be able to buy her an upsee, which is a device that I can attach Emily to me and my legs are strapped to hers, so when I take a step, she takes a step. I took my first walk with my little girl, and that was the best day of my life.”

“The feeling of walking with her when the doctors told me she never would was so emotional and beautiful. Emily loves it, and it gives her the practice of taking steps and the chance of experiencing a walk with her family.”

Carrie Forsythe, Emily’s special education teacher at the RIU6 at A-C Valley is very pleased with her progress.

“Emily is a very joyful and loving child,” Forsythe said. “She smiles all the time, and she turns her head when her friends start to play.”

“We are very pleased with Emily’s progress. We are really working hard at cause and effect with her. We are constantly looking at building the bridges between her communication and ours. We want to see purposeful reaches and choices, and we are more and more,” Forsythe said.

“And, those are the beginning steps for her communication. We hear more utterances, and we know she is doing more at home, and we believe she will do more here as she becomes more comfortable here.”

“One day, she said ‘bite’ as clear as day. It was so exciting,” Forsythe said.

“But, the thing that is so important is that she has a very supportive and involved family that works with her. That can’t be understated.”

The team that works with Emily and her classmates includes Amy Kaufman, Melissa Cyphert, Dr. Jennifer Hindman, Keleigh Schimp, and Dr. Andrew Lugg.

Emily also has an Amazon wish list amazon.com/gp/registry/giftlist/3W2QSUN6JAFMU. It was set up for her through the Butterfly Fund she belongs to.

“No one has ever bought her anything from it, but people can check it out, and if people don’t feel comfortable donating, they can see what they are buying, and it’s things she needs,” Alisha said. “I also put on a couple things for Billy in case they would want to get him something, too.”

Alisha is hopeful to come up with enough money to buy an accessible van for Emily.

“We are renting our place, so we aren’t eligible for certain things that would help her, so that’s why we are trying some other ways to get her the things she needs.”