Because she loves to dance and we've given her another chance.
Emily Manion, age 7
Her friends in dance class dedicated their recital to Emily Manion, 7. Emily loves ballet but couldn't be in this year's recital because she was 150 miles from her home in Gallipolis, Ohio, recovering from a bone marrow transplant at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
Her recovery has had its ups and downs, so Emily's family has lived in the Cincinnati area since last November, staying close to the hospital. She's doing well now and counting on going back home soon.
Emily didn't have much of a summer, her mother acknowledges. To minimize exposure to viruses, she wasn't allowed to go out and play or swim with other children. She filled her time with crafts and a lot of homework, working hard to stay on track with her second grade class.
Through this difficult year, "she's been very positive, a real trooper," her mother says. "We call her our little hard charger."
And at next year's recital, if all goes as planned, Emily will be on stage, dancing alongside her friends.
