Originally published at Orange County Catholic
EMMETT PHAM WAS A cheeky, rule-following 3-year-old enrolled at St. Norbert Catholic School in Orange. He was quiet but had lots of friends and loved riding tricycles and playing with the older boys.
Every weekend he attended Mass with his family at San Antonio de Padua Catholic Church in Anaheim Hills. Praying for the sick always topped their list of intentions. Lyan Dao and husband Duy Pham were also blessed with daughter Emma, who is two years behind Emmett.
APRIL 2024 – EMMETT PHAM AT CHOC. PHOTOS COURTESY OF LYAN DAO
Last March Emmett suffered several seizures that landed him in Children’s Hospital of Orange County for two months with a neurological diagnosis but no game plan. It was a rare disease, and doctors had no cure or answers. Emmett had lost his ability to eat, talk, stand or walk. You’d look into his eyes, and no one stared back. The boy who loved to sing and play with his sister and friends was now a shadow of himself.
JULY 2024 – EMMETT PHAM IN PHYSICAL THERAPY
Lyan and Duy work in the medical field, but nothing prepared them for the uncertainty and grief of losing a son
