Homecoming triumph: Emma defeats eye cancer and returns home to her 'Magical Town'  in Mexico

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Emma is originally from a “magical town”, or in Spanish, a "pueblo mágico." 

This is how Mexico officially designates many quaint towns to celebrate and preserve the rich tapestry of culture that sets them apart. These attractive places are treasures of history, folklore, traditions, natural beauty and culinary delight.  

“These are very special places with a lot of magic, like my Emma,” said Grety, Emma's mother. 

Emma was a dream come true when the family found out about the long-awaited pregnancy. Grety, and her husband, as well as their two older daughters, Jimena and Renata, 14 and 11 years old, respectively, couldn’t wait to bring the baby home after she was born. Emma immediately filled the home with a new joy.  

“We felt that we needed her, and her sisters welcomed her into their lives because they really wanted to take care of a younger sister,” Grety said.  

Emma was born during the COVID-19 pandemic, in times of forced isolation that made the entire family stay at home. So, she was very pampered by everyone during her first year of life. 

While she was taking her first steps, she was a very active and happy girl. Emma enjoyed going to the park, especially to see the pigeons, her mother recalled. She always smiled when she saw them take flight. 

Her behavior was typical for a girl her age. But in April 2022, Grety noticed a strange reflection in her youngest daughter's left eye. She describes it as if she had discovered a “little mirror” inside her retina.  

“I imagined the worst,” Grety confessed. 

When Emma’s pediatrician examined her, she told them there was no time to waste and immediately referred her to an ophthalmologist.  

The next day, they had the diagnosis: bilateral retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer that occurs most often in young children, usually under 3 years of age. 

Emma had multiple tumors in both eyes. 

“It was catastrophic…really terrible, but we didn't give up,” said Grety.  

Their ophthalmologist referred them to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® because Emma fit the criteria to be included in a St. Jude-led clinical trial for bilateral retinoblastoma. 

“We knew it would be a very difficult process to leave our home. Only she and I could travel. [We were] full of doubts and fears, [going to] another country with a different language,” Grety said. 

William, Emma’s dad, said the thought of any of his daughters being diagnosed with cancer never crossed his mind, so when doctors told him his baby had cancer it seemed like his world fell apart. “Even more difficult was having to separate and not be able to accompany them through the [treatment] process,” he said.  

Before leaving their hometown, Grety recalled taking refuge in her faith. A faithful devotee of St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes, she went to a church in another city, about 27 miles away, to “entrust” her daughter to him.  

“I put her in his hands,” she said. 

‘It was something very serious.’ 

When Grety learned that the hospital they were heading to had been constructed as a promise to St. Jude, she believed it was more than mere coincidence.  

“As I arrived at St. Jude and saw his statue at the hospital's entrance, I said, 'You brought me here,’” she recounted. 

It was early April. Emma was just 20 months old at the time and had already started uttering her first words.  

Doctors provided her mother with reassurance by explaining the treatments included in the clinical trial protocol. Shortly after, the little girl received freezing treatments (cryotherapy) in her left eye, where the larger tumor was situated. Meanwhile, her doctors employed laser therapy on her right eye. Emma also underwent chemotherapy. 

"They explained to me that it was something very serious and aggressive, but it was necessary," Grety recalled. 

As she reached the final phase of treatment, the little girl’s condition visibly weakened. Due to her fragile health, returning home to enjoy the parks and scenery of her magic town was not an option.

Emma's father remained at home with their two other daughters, saying the inability to accompany Emma throughout the medical process in the United States was devastating. Their magical town lost its luster without the presence of the youngest of their daughters. "However, we consistently called her to convey our love and remind her that we eagerly awaited her return home," said William. 

Home away from home with ‘a big family’ 

At St. Jude, mother and daughter were surprised to receive so much support from the staff from day one. From interpreters and social workers to nurses and doctors, all “were angels who were there for us,” Grety said, adding she was relieved to know she did not have to bear the cost of the medical care provided at St. Jude. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food.  

The physical and occupational therapists also helped Emma a lot, her mother said. 

“They motivated her with the toys that she liked the most, to the point that she loved going to her therapies and would even cry if she didn't see her favorite therapist.”  

Between her medical procedures and appointments, Emma also found joy in painting and crafting with clay, letting her creative spirit shine. 

Her mother also took her to the playground in Target House patient family housing where they were staying, provided by St. Jude. During their visits, they connected other families who spoke Spanish, confiding in them about their desire to return to their magical town so Emma could resume her life alongside her sisters. 

Nonetheless, “we made a big family there and we supported each other in everything, from grocery shopping to babysitting. When I had a medical appointment, my friends would take care of Emma,” Grety recalled.  

These bonds of friendship were strengthened during the excursions that Target House offered during their stay. They attended soccer games and visited stores, museums and the Memphis Zoo.  

“Emma really liked those trips, and she was so happy that she didn't want to get off the bus,” Grety said. 

The doctors confirmed, after 8 months of treatment, that Emma was stable and could return home. Everything had gone as expected, the doctors said, and Emma had maintained 60 percent of her vision in her left eye, while the vision in her right eye had stayed the same. 

“I have no words to describe that moment; I didn't expect everything to happen so quickly,” Grety said. 

“When we welcomed her in December, and she was healed, I thanked God and St. Jude and all the hospital staff at St. Jude that made it possible for Emma to be home again,” William said.

Currently, Emma maintains a regular schedule of visits to St. Jude for her follow-up examinations a few times a year. Each time she visits, her face lights up with a smile as she reunites with those friends—both fellow patients and hospital staff. 

"She lives a life without limitations, she’s a joyful child,” her mother said. “St. Jude transformed our journey, making the process so much more manageable. That is why I am immensely grateful to the generous donors who make all this possible.”

Emma celebrated her third birthday shortly after she returned home, surrounded by the love of her family in their charming hometown. She once again enjoys the sight of pigeons taking flight in the same park she used to frequent before her treatment. 

“We were all super happy, for it felt like we were born anew... even I feel that way now, because (this experience) changes everything," Grety said.