Emma’s respiratory disorder makes every part of her day-to-day life extremely challenging. Emma receives in-home nursing care 8 hours a day, five days a week. She requires oxygen 24 hours a day; she is stable on her home ventilator at night and bleed-in oxygen off the vent during the day.
Her family had many ideas for a wish; she has difficulty bathing due to the setup of their bathroom, so a remodel was considered. She also does not have ramps for the either the garage or front entrance of her house, making transporting her in and out of the house very difficult. Ultimately, Emma’s wish was for a safe-sleep bed. Due to risk of falling and/or disconnecting her oxygen and feeding tubes, she was unable to sleep in a bed. Emma had been sleeping in her wheelchair for safety reasons.
Her nurse had recommended the Cubby Bed to her family. The Cubby Bed is a safe sleep bed specially designed for children with medical needs. The cost of the bed, lengthy and challenging process to get approved through insurance and long production time from the company had made this idea near impossible for Emma’s family to accomplish alone. Just 19 days after Emma’s wish to have a Cubby Bed was determined, Make-A-Wish Iowa volunteers delivered and set up her very own Cubby Bed for safe sleep. Emma is now able to lay down to sleep safely and comfortably in a bed designed just for her and her needs. Her family can feel more comfortable knowing she is in a safe space and all their lives are drastically improved thanks to this wish.