Captain Spotlight–Emily Phillip

September 21st, 2012

Our Captains Rock!

At the age of 6, Emily Phillip was diagnosed with congenital heart defects and pulmonary hypertension—a lung disease that has no cure.  She has gone through countless tests and procedures over the last 10 years, but she has not let her illness bring her down.

Emily loves all forms of art, and is an avid hunter.  She recently returned from a hunting trip, where she shot a 10-point buck that weight 235 lbs!  Emily is an active participant in advocating for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, as both organizations have enriched and lengthened Emily’s time here on Earth.

In the last few months, Emily’s family learned that it is time to look at a heart/lung transplant for Emily—within the next few months her family will travel to St. Louis, MO for an evaluation and to hopefully get her on the donor list.

While Emily and her family wait for the next step, Emily is taking advantage of her opportunities and getting involved in activities she’s always looked forward to doing—participating in a race was at the top of her list.  One of the first things Emily said when she found out she was going to have a transplant was “Someday I might be able to run!”  Her parents feel that racing with myTEAM TRIUMPH is a wonderful opportunity that will allow Emily to experience what she may be able to do on her own one day!

Emily will be racing in the Fox Cities 5K along with her art teacher, Jason Ryf.  To learn more about Emily’s first race and how you can support her, please visit this website.

How to connect with Team Emily and myTEAM TRIUMPH:

Visit our Facebook Fan Page and leave a shout-out for Emily as she participates in her first race!

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @myTEAMTRIUMPHwi.  We will be using the hashtags #mttfcm12 and #captainemilyp