Mission Monday: Meet Emily Pepper, Our Girl of the Year

Silicon Valley & Monterey Bay Area Girl of the Year, Emily Pepper

Emily Pepper is an adorable and outgoing third-grader from San Jose. With blonde hair and a bright smile, she seems every bit your average, happy eight-year-old. Yet, in March of 2008, when she was just six years old, Emily was taken to the emergency room for an ear infection, persistent fever and trouble breathing. After doctors discovered that she had a collapsed lung, Emily was rushed to Stanford Hospital, where they found an apple-sized mass in her chest. That day, Emily was diagnosed with stage 3 Non-Hodgkins T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that originates in the lymph nodes.  But all was not lost. Emily was given a 75% chance of survival. 

Soon after her diagnosis, Emily began a rigorous, two-year chemotherapy treatment regimen. For the first nine months, she was in the hospital receiving IV chemo at least four days a week.  She also had to be on a high-dose Methotrexate treatment, which required in-patient stays in the hospital.  All through treatment, she would take a cocktail of drugs every night, either at home or in the hospital.  

Over the course of her treatment, Emily developed a lot of complications, including a complete clot of her subclavian vein less than an inch from her heart, pneumonia, strep and H1N1. She also had countless bouts of neuptropenia, which required hospitalizations. 

Emily has been in remission since June of 2008 and her chemo treatment ended on March 10, 2010. She will continue to be monitored by her oncologist for the next five years. 

Ever since her diagnosis, Emily has fought the good fight and is now thriving. Her father, Chris, is in awe of her unwavering spirit. He says of his daughter, “Emily is one of the most positive and inspirational people you will ever meet.  She has been through so much, but somehow, she did most of it with a smile.” Both Chris and wife Tracy (a Stanford Hospital nurse) rejoice in their daughter’s resiliency and are grateful for the strides make in blood cancer research that have given their daughter such a good chance at beating this disease. 

Emily has now been named the Silicon Valley & Monterey Bay Area Chapter’s Girl of the Year for the 2010 Man & Woman of the Year campaign. In this role, Emily will serve as a source of inspiration to our Man & Woman of the Year candidates, giving them a direct connection to the cause as they raise vital funds for blood cancer research and patient services and compete for the honor of being named Man or Woman of the Year. 

As for Emily’s future, her parents wish for her a life free from the trials of blood cancer. “What we want for her future is for it to look pretty much as it would have if she had never been diagnosed. We are hopeful over time we can get there,” they say. With the help of campaigns like Man & Woman of the Year, we hope that their wish will come true, for Emily and for all people diagnosed with a blood cancer.