3-year-old Emma is fighting acute myeloid leukemia with RAM phenotype – a rare and aggressive subtype of AML.

Emma’s parents knew something was wrong when Emma, their “full-throttle 2-year-old,” started acting tired and seemed to always be in pain. When her symptoms did not improve with antibiotics, her family ended up in the emergency room at Children’s Minnesota.

Her parents initially thought Emma would be prescribed another round of antibiotics, but they were quickly sent up to the seventh floor where the sign on the door read “hematology/oncology.”

There, in early March 2025, Emma was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia with RAM phenotype. This aggressive form of leukemia has a 15% survival rate.

Emma started chemotherapy on her 2nd birthday. Thankfully, she was able to bypass the standard AML treatment path which would have involved multiple month-long inpatient hospital stays. 

Through compassionate use, a way for patients to receive experimental treatments outside of clinical trials, Emma was able to access newer drugs that meant she was able to spend her summer on the playground with her sister even as she received treatment.

This little champion stayed strong through 5 months of chemotherapy and then underwent a bone marrow transplant. She has since celebrated 100 days post-transplant, with no major complications, and has also finished her frontline treatment.

For Emma’s family, her cancer journey is a testament to the real-life impacts of innovative childhood cancer research. 

Her parents told us, “Emma’s story is special because cancer research enabled her to stay active through an otherwise challenging diagnosis and treatment. 

She truly would not be here without the new drugs she has been able to access that have been gentle enough on her system that we were able to receive much of her treatment from home. Research unlocks both quantity and quality of life for these kids.”

At the same time, her parents recognize that there is a way to go before all kids have the same options that Emma had. Research remains so important and needed, until all kids are living life NOT fighting for it.

Emma is now part-way through 2 years of maintenance chemotherapy with an experimental drug.

Treatment has impacted her physical health with both her heart and liver showing signs of long-term treatment. Bone density is also a worry. Her parents have found that this experience has helped them refocus on their whole family’s health.

While a cancer-free future is still far from guaranteed, Emma and her family continue to take everything one step at a time.

Emma continues to light up everyone’s lives as the resident wild child who loves to play princess dress-ups and make up songs with her sister!

Emma, we’re going to pedal our hardest for YOU this September! You ROCK!