Now, on the first anniversary of her death, her parents and brother have walked 250km to raise money for children's brain tumour charity Tom's Trust (UK) - the organisation that helped the family overcome the pain of losing their child, according to the Mirror .
They also wanted to take this opportunity to tell their child's story to warn parents about the strange symptoms of a rare brain tumor.
Although only the arm was numb, unexpectedly more than a week later the baby passed away.
While on vacation with her family in August 2022, Emily Smith (living in England) suddenly became numb and could not move her right arm normally.
Although the only symptom was numbness in the hand, unexpectedly about a week later the baby passed away.
At first, the girl did not feel any pain, but just felt "unusual". But the next day, the symptom spread to her right leg, and her worried parents took her to the hospital.
Even though Emily’s symptoms were mild, they decided to get an MRI just to be safe. Shockingly, it turned out to be a brain tumor. While she had none of the typical brain tumor symptoms, no discomfort or headaches, the tumor was deep in the brain. It was a very difficult tumor to reach.
Emily was transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge (UK) and scheduled for surgery to remove the tumor, followed by radiotherapy.
But then Emily's condition deteriorated rapidly, the tumor began to bleed and swell, causing hydrocephalus.
On August 2, 2022, the girl collapsed and underwent emergency surgery to reduce swelling and drain fluid in the brain.
The biopsy results showed that it was a rare, incurable glioma called diffuse brainstem glioma.
Emily spent the rest of her days in the pediatric intensive care unit, sadly never waking up after the surgery. She died just six days after the emergency surgery on August 8, according to the Mirror .
Everything happened so quickly and they didn't have time to prepare for anything, said Andy, the baby's father.
MRI scan shows baby has a brain tumor
What is diffuse brainstem glioma?
This type of tumor often spreads in the middle region of the brain and metastasizes throughout the bones, marrow, or nearby parts of the brain.
Symptoms, depending on the location of the tumor, may include double vision, difficulty swallowing, weakness on one or both sides of the body, and loss of balance.
This type of tumor can also cause increased pressure within the skull by creating too much cerebrospinal fluid, a condition called hydrocephalus.
Symptoms of hydrocephalus may include nausea, vomiting, irritability, headache, blurred or double vision, lethargy, and seizures.
Diffuse brain stem gliomas in the spine can cause symptoms such as numbness or weakness in the arms or legs, according to the National Cancer Institute.
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