11-Year-Old Emma Palmer Walking Again After January Brain Bleed

11-year-old swimmer Emma Palmer is walking again, less than 100 days after a harrowing post-practice collapse due to a spontaneous brain bleed.

Palmer collapsed after a swim practice at Countryside YMCA back in January. Doctors diagnosed a spontaneous brain bleed, and Palmer was in a medically-induced coma while undergoing multiple brain surgeries.

But now, less than 100 days since her collapse, Palmer is recovering well and has even begun walking, her family says.

“She now has quite a bit of motion on her left leg, and a little on her left arm, though she still has a long road to full recovery,” Emma’s father Andy Palmer told SwimSwam. “She has started walking quite a bit with support, and has been strong in her determination to continue to push her limits.”

Emma Palmer is reading books and playing games while in the hospital, and has connected with her teammates via Zoom amidst the coronavirus shutdown.

Doctors were never able to pinpoint the cause of the spontaneous brain bleed. Palmer is still a long ways from returning to the pool, but according to a Facebook group providing updates on her progress, she is scheduled to return home from the hospital next week, on May 13th. You can follow all of her progress on that page, where swimmers and clubs from across the country have shared thoughts, prayers and support with Palmer and her family.

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TheShortSwimmer
3 years ago

Love you so much Emma and all of the Torpedoes miss you!

#DontswimforyourtimeswimforEmma
4 years ago

1 week till your back in lebanon. Love you Emma!

Rattana
4 years ago

Congratulations. God bless you my dear

Lakota Y Coach
4 years ago

That is such great news! Everyone in SWOYSL is behind you! Keep up the good progress and we will see you in the pool very soon!

Jalen Stimes
4 years ago

Sending prayers and love to you!

Coach
4 years ago

Prayers for continued healing! The swimming community is pulling for you!

Lane 8
4 years ago

So happy for her and her family!

YaYeeter
4 years ago

Great news! Sending all of my love and support to her 🙌🙌

cynthia curran
Reply to  YaYeeter
4 years ago

Why do kids have these things happen to them while us old folks don’t.

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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