Emily and Remi: A friendship for life

Published 12:05 am Sunday, February 25, 2018

On a warm September morning a decade ago, two little girls met on the first day of preschool and an instant friendship was formed.

The friendship was typical in many ways; the girls played with dolls, looked at books and stuck together on the playground. What was not so typical about their friendship was that one of the girls, Emily Sanchez, was immobile, bound to her petite ladybug stroller and unable to talk to her newly found friend. The other little girl, Remi Hasty, would become Emily’s voice and legs, as her constant companion and advocate.

Emily was born with a rare mitochondrial disorder that occurs when the cells don’t produce enough energy for the body to function at 100 percent. It affects her mobility and impairs her ability to speak. Emily communicates with family and friends through her eyes, gestures and sound. Her mother, Veronica Sanchez, recalls those early years, not knowing where to turn for a positive learning environment for Emily.

“I remember meeting Meredith Andersen, Peter’s mom, and we talked about the devastating disorder that affected both our children in some similar and different ways,” Veronica Sanchez said. “She encouraged me to give St. Mark’s Preschool a try. I was scared to death, though. I had never put Emily ‘out there.’ I was worried that the children and parents would not accept us.”

She found quite the opposite to be true. Veronica Sanchez says the collective love and support they received from everyone at St. Mark’s Preschool was beyond anything they could have hoped for, and no one was Emily’s champion more than Remi during those early years. Remi’s mom, Katie Hasty, recalls the very first day of preschool when Emily appeared on the scene.

“Remi kept staring at Emily, and I was praying that she wouldn’t do anything or say anything to make this family, who was already so emotional, feel any more awkward than they already felt,” Katie Hasty said. “Remi brought us all to tears when she walked up to Emily, opened up her arm and placed a baby doll there.”

That was the beginning of the girls’ bond that would have a powerful and lasting effect. The girls attended Beaverdale Elementary School together from kindergarten to fifth grade, and Remi never wavered in her devotion to Emily. The girls’ mothers tell stories of their cheer team, where Remi would raise Emily’s arms for her and even stomp her feet during the cheers.

“I worried that the other parents and kids at the new school and on the cheer team wouldn’t accept us,” Veronica Sanchez said. “But Remi and Katie gave me the courage to push past my comfort zone. I never would have met these amazing, lifelong friends if it hadn’t been for St. Mark’s Preschool.”

The two moms are as close now as the two girls.

“Veronica is a huge inspiration to me,” Katie Hasty says of her friend.

Veronica Sanchez speaks of her friend in much the same tone.

“Katie is my other voice,” she said. “She helps other parents know how to interact. Katie and Remi pull us into every circle. They have become more than our friends; they are our family.”

Emily and Remi are now in their first year at North Whitfield Middle School, and although their moms report the transition from elementary has been a challenge, Remi remains Emily’s strongest supporter and protector, and Emily is right in the circle of activity at their new school.

Veronica Sanchez and her husband, Ezequiel, have a large circle of family and friends who are currently making big plans to see their girl, Emily, as she rolls along in her custom chair at the annual race, Peter’s Free Wheelin’ 5K, on Saturday at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Many of her supporters, called Team Emily, come from states as far away as Illinois, New York, Ohio and Texas. Most will run or walk the race themselves and enjoy the spirit of the morning.

One of the runners who will take turns pushing Emily in her chair is her fourth-grade teacher, Stephen Stacey, who has pushed Emily each year since the race began five years ago. Stacey is one of the Sanchez family’s heroes, as he has been a special teacher/friend to them from Beaverdale Elementary, along with another teacher, Jason Brooker. Both teachers, among many others, gave Emily’s family that same love, support and encouragement that Veronica found so many years ago in the unique program at St. Mark’s.

Peter’s Free-Wheelin’ 5K is at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Hard copies of the registration forms are available at the church at 901 W. Emery St. or registration can be done online at Active.com (search Peter’s Free-Wheelin’ 5K). Registration is also open race morning beginning at 7:30. A one-mile Fun Run starts at 8:30 and the 5K race begins at 9:15. For more information, contact Whitney at St. Mark’s Church at (706) 278-8857.