TOLEDO, Ohio — After spending most of her young life in the hospital due to a serious heart issue and a series of surgeries to correct it, Emmalyn Rowan received a much needed heart transplant at the University of Michigan in April 2021 when she was just 2-years-old.
Her mother Nicole documented the entire experience on social media.
Although the family was beyond thankful to the doctors at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor for giving the little girl a better life, Nicole says the future remains a guessing game.
That’s largely due to the expensive medication that Emmalyn needs to take to keep her body from rejecting her new heart.
It's likely Emmalyn will need to be on the immunosuppressant for the rest of her life.
And since drugs like this could cost anywhere - from a few hundred dollars to upwards of $3 thousand per month - they are understandably feeling some pressure.
The family is always looking to insurance for help but are having a hard time getting the insurance companies to pay for the important medications on a consistent basis. .
That leaves Nicole and her husband Terry to wonder about the worst-case scenario.
“These types of medications, they're needed to sustain her life. if she doesn't get them, she could become extremely sick,” said Nicole. “When you go into rejection, and her body decides it does not want to keep it, she could die.”
It’s obviously a very frightening prospect because Emmalyn's mom says her daughter has made so much progress since the heart transplant.
In the meantime, the family is carrying on, still grateful that Emmalyn is healthy and happy.
You can read more about Emmalyn’s story by following the links below. You can also follow along with Emmalyn’s story “Journey of the Heart” on Nicole’s Facebook page.
WTOL 11 will continue to bring you updates on Emmalyn's story.
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