GO BACK
Christmas with Emma and her family
November 24, 2025
Emma’s family holds her extra tight at this time of year, as they don’t know how many more Christmases they will share.
“Here’s Emma with Santa in a photo taken just a couple of weeks ago.
When Emma was first diagnosed, doctors told us she wouldn’t make it to five years old, but this year will be our ninth Christmas with Emma. We are so lucky.
We have a family photo with Santa every year – because it’s a celebration that Emma is still with us.”
– Ashley, Emma’s mum
Many other families just like Emma’s are clinging to every precious moment this Christmas.
Your gift today will help surround families like Emma’s with comfort and support, so they don’t have to face this time of year alone. Donate here today.
Emma’s world is full of all the things most eight-year-old girls love – a Frozen-themed bedroom, Disney movies, the swimming pool and even wrestling games with her older brother Matty, and visits to the local shopping centre to have family portraits done with Santa.
Emma is also non-verbal and requires the support of a wheelchair to get around, she shows joy for her many passions through her contagious happiness and cheeky and loving nature.
What started as routine checks after Emma’s birth quickly turned into a series of diagnoses that turned the young family’s lives upside down.
Even in our darkest hours when everything just seems so dire, you have someone to talk to and be open and honest with how you’re feeling, they make it clear there’s no wrong feelings with what we are going through.
In addition to counselling support, Emma and her family have access to dedicated respite care at Very Special Kids House
The family live in a tight-knit rural community in central Victoria, which has many perks – Emma is well-known and many people go out of their way to make Emma feel special, wanted and part of the community. However, it also means some challenges when accessing specialised medical care.
With the help of the Very Special Kids’ Road to Respite van, Emma can be picked up and dropped off when she stays at Very Special Kids House.
“I love how they have someone sitting in the back with her and they read to her and sing to her and talk to her…It’s nice to know that she’s very well taken care of in the van and even more so at Very Special Kids House.”
Emma’s having a ball
For Ashley and her husband, Brad, the initial respite experience was “nerve-wracking and overwhelming.” Ashley continues, “It’s very daunting leaving just a typical child for a night or two, let alone a special needs child who you’ve done absolutely everything for.”
However, Emma quickly settled in, giving her family the confidence to “let her have her little holiday” because they knew “she’s going to be having an absolute ball.”
“I just watched how Emma took to everything. So we just went in and visited her from time to time to check on her and she barely even noticed us gone which was amazing.”
During her respite visits to Very Special Kids House, Emma’s favourite activities are using the hydrotherapy pool, participating in music and art therapy and sensory activities like finger painting.
Emma’s family love to call Emma every night while she’s at respite and read stories to her to say goodnight.
Ashley shares, “It’s an amazing place, the hospice… that’s why we call it Em’s holiday because these people are there to make sure she’s having a great time 24/7… She gets to make new friends and meet more kids like her.”
Your gift today will help surround families like Emma’s with comfort and support, so they don’t have to face this difficult time of year alone.
I think a lot of people don’t realise that it’s not a bad life. It’s still a beautiful life and she’s still happy. We get this opportunity to spend her life with her. We get this opportunity to love her. Not many people get this. And while it is stressful, it is emotional. It is hard. It is so worthwhile and it is so meaningful and so fulfilling.
There’s no words to describe how thankful we are towards Very Special Kids and what they’ve done for our family.
