Adjusting to a new life; Two years after a tragic accident, a family rebuilds and finds inspiration in the continuing search for a cure.

By Bill Theobald-Indianapolis Star/News- INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday - September 20, 1998)

Emily Hunt's life has settled into a routine. A pretty familiar one for a 6-year-old. She wakes up early and watches cartoons. Rugrats is her favorite, she says with a soft "hee-hee." Then it's breakfast - usually Pop Tarts - and coloring, game playing and books. Richard Scarry books are her first choice. Before long it's time for lunch and then off to afternoon kindergarten, back to her Northwestside home for more playing with twin Nikki and older sister, Sarah, 8. Then a family supper, and off to bed. In between and around those familiar rhythms, life is anything but normal for Emily. First, she is paralyzed from the chest down and requires a half-hour of stretching and massage from Dad (Michael) or Mom (Amy) every morning just to loosen her stiff little body enough for her day to begin. And she is Emily Hunt the celebrity. She's the little girl injured in an August 1996 amusement park accident that killed her grandmother, eventually caused the Old Indiana Fun-n-Water Park in Thorntown to close and resulted in a new law that toughens regulation of amusement rides. It's called Emily's Law. Now, there also is the Emily Hunt Foundation. And next month the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host the second annual Emily's Walk fund-raiser with a gala the prior evening featuring actor Christopher Reeve. "We've got a new 'normal,'" said Michael Hunt, sitting at the family's kitchen table. Emily, in her bright yellow electric cart, and the two other Hunt girls fill out the table, busily coloring while Mom and Dad talk. Asked questions, Emily responds quietly with an occasional giggle and shy smile. "I'm learning to read," she said of her activities in school at a nearby church. "I'm learning what God made on the fifth day - birds, fish and water." Occasionally, Nikki blurts out answers to questions for Emily. Amy Hunt says even before the accident, Nikki was the more outgoing and Emily the more reserved of the pair. Now, Mom thinks it's partly a response to all the attention Emily receives. It's just another example of how the accident affects the entire family. "She does take a lot of time and attention from us," Amy said of Emily. "It's hard to balance her needs, the other kids and the home. " Their two-story house itself has proven to be an obstacle. A new one-story house designed to accommodate Emily's chair is being built in Brownsburg. The family should move in early next year. Also new is Michael's job. He left his real estate career in March to become head of the foundation. He takes no salary, relying instead on savings to support the family. The foundation raises money for spinal cord research and strives to increase public awareness of the research now under way. The Hunts hope medical breakthroughs will allow Emily to regain some movement and - ultimately - to walk again. In the short term, the Hunts look forward to the day when the tracheal tube can be removed from Emily's neck and she can breathe on her own. Now, part of her routine includes regular breathing treatments and sleeping with an oxygen line pumping all night. She also must be catheterized four times a day and go to physical therapy twice a week. She can move her arms but can't grasp things with her fingers. Still, through therapy she learned how to pick up and hold items by pushing her hands together. She easily demonstrates how she can write her name. A nurse comes to the house six days a week to assist with her care. All told, the bills pile up to about $ 200,000 every year. Those costs are covered by the Hunts' private insurance. When that runs out, state insurance will take over in a deal worked out with the help of Gov. Frank O'Bannon. Investigations of the accident concluded the state had been negligent in inspecting the rides at Old Indiana. It was while they were lobbying for Emily's Bill that the Hunts hooked up with Reeve and his foundation. The actor was paralyzed in a horse-riding accident in 1995. Michael said he arranged for a letter of support for his bill from Reeve that was to be sent to legislators. But a deal was struck and no letter was needed. Then, after the first Emily's Walk last fall, the Hunts arranged to meet with Reeve when he was in town for a motivational seminar. The Hunts presented Reeve with $115,000 from the walk, more than twice what they had hoped to raise. Reeve, in a telephone interview, said he was impressed by the donation, especially since it came out of the blue. "Because they are doing it again for us I wanted to come out and meet Emily and thank the family," he said of his Oct. 3 appearance at the gala at the Murat Centre. Money from the event and the walk will go to the Emily Hunt Foundation, Michael Hunt said, but a large portion will end up with the American Paralysis Association. Reeve is chairman of the association's board. The Hunts clearly admire Reeve and have relied on his example to direct their efforts. "He's larger than life," Michael said. "Christopher Reeve is blazing the trail." The regard is mutual. "I feel a particular empathy for Emily and for her family," said the actor of Superman fame. "To be injured at such a young age is really tragic. " If the gala is a sell-out, the Hunts say it will raise $150,000. They are hoping 5,000 people participate in the walk and raise another $ 200,000. At the "Dreams of Dancing" gala, the first Emily Hunt Award also will be presented. It will go to Matt Ware, who broke his neck Feb. 26 during a high school basketball practice at Heritage Christian School. In addition, one of the items at the silent auction is an original drawing and limited prints by a local artist. The picture features a reclining Emily with a swirl of ballerinas above her. It nicely matches the gala's theme. But its meaning is deeper. Emily's dream is to be a ballerina one day.

Two fund-raisers

Two events next month will raise money for the Emily Hunt Foundation, which supports spinal cord research: "Dreams of Dancing" gala - beginning at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Murat Centre with cocktails and a silent auction. Dinner is at 8 p.m. and music from 9 p.m. to midnight. The featured guest is Christopher Reeve. Individual reservations are $100. Corporate tables are available. For more information, call (317) 329-0857.
Emily's Walk - Oct. 4 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, sponsored by American Family Insurance. Admission is free for kids under 14 and adults who collect pledges of $ 25 or more. For more information, call (317) 849-1775 or access the web site: www.emilywalk.com

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