Jennifer Lopez Opens Up About Emme’s Health Scare
 Roger Wong/INF |
Shortly after welcoming fraternal twins Maximilian David and Emme Maribel, now 14 months, singers Jennifer Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony were in seventh heaven, enjoying life as a family. However, their happiness almost came to a screeching halt as the two were faced with a parent’s worst nightmare: the couple found a lump on then 3-week old Emme’s head.
Opening up about the scare at a Noche de Niños gala benefit for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), the memory is one that is hard to erase from Jennifer’s mind. “We both got very nervous, very very nervous, and I just remember my heart sinking to my feet,” she recalls.
“I looked at [Marc] and I said, ‘You know if anything happens, I’m not going to be OK, you know that, right?’”
Immediately the couple rushed their daughter to the hospital where doctors reacted quickly, running a long list of tests — among them an MRI. Fortunately, Jennifer and Marc consider themselves among the lucky ones as baby Emme “turned out fine.” The incident, however, finished with a happy ending in more ways than one. “I started to wonder, what if I couldn’t afford a doctor or receive the medicines, the procedures?” says Jennifer.
As a result, Jennifer has teamed up with CHLA to jointly form the Maribel Foundation, an organization that will assist in providing pediatric medical services to struggling families.
Source: E!
– Anya
- Posted on May 13, 09 at 8:30AM
- Permalink
- 29 Comments
May 13th, 2009 at 8:57 am
I can’t believe she would say she wasn’t sure if she could afford the Doctors or Medicines. Are you for real? She has millions and millions of Dr.s. My husband is self employed and we were sweating the birth of our twins because we weren’t sure we could afford their birth. I hate when celebrities act like the norm, they are not the norm. Far from it.
May 13th, 2009 at 8:59 am
“I started to wonder, what if I couldn’t afford a doctor or receive the medicines, the procedures?” says Jennifer.
Really? This is a statement coming from a women who makes millions upon millions???
I really do feel for her with her scare with poor baby Emme, and am happy that everything turned out okay, but that comment just seems like a slap in the face for those of us who won’t even come close to seeing the money she makes in 6 months, over our entire lifetime…
May 13th, 2009 at 9:07 am
I don’t think she meant she was wondering if she could pay for it; she knows she can. What it seems like she was saying was she thought about all the parents who can’t pay for things like that and wondered what she would have to do.
I’m sure she didn’t ACTUALLY think about that when her baby was in the hospital, but when she got the bill, she probably did!
May 13th, 2009 at 9:10 am
I try to understand her remark as a “what if I wasn’t as lucky as I am…” so that she feels sorry for all those parents who worry for their sick children AND have to worry about the doctor’s fees!
Every other meaning would just be ridiculous.
May 13th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Oh my god people. She was saying “what IF I couldn’t afford it” as some people can not. She did not mean she is no way thought she couldn’t, she was just thinking how lucky she is because some can afford it. She was trying to put herself in others shoes. How could anyone even confuse this statement!! Now she started a foundation to help those who can’t. It opened her eyes to how fortunate she is, and how others aren’t. There is nothing negative to say about this. She is doing a great thing!!!!!
May 13th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Good Lord People! Jennifer clearly meant that hypothetically she thought about what if she were in a position in which she couldn’t afford healthcare like so many mothers in America, hence joining CHLA. She is actually trying to raise awareness and do some good here.
May 13th, 2009 at 9:23 am
I think what Jennifer was saying is she was wondering what would have happened had she not been in a position to afford the test and medical treatment. She’s not saying she ever thought she wouldn’t be able to afford it. Come on people.
May 13th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Seriously, did people fail reading comprehension? It’s clear that she meant that she wondered what if she was a parent who couldn’t afford the bills and procedures. Why else would she then form a foundation? Sometimes I think that readers of this site are just looking for something to hate these celebs for.
May 13th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Stephanie and Lis i think you girls didnt understand the real sense of Jennifer’s statement. Read it again please.
May 13th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Very cool of Jennifer to team up with CHLA to help out families! Sounds like it was very scary what happened with her daughter, but it’s great that it all worked out!
May 13th, 2009 at 9:45 am
I’m also confused that it could have been understood any other way than that she was imagining being in someone’s shoes who could not afford medical help and I’m not even native English!!
Come on people – read first and then start complaining not the other way around!
May 13th, 2009 at 9:52 am
English is not even my mother tongue, and still I understood that what Jennifer meant is that she feels really lucky to have all that she has and that she felt bad for the people who can’t afford to pay medical expenses.
Gosh, Stephanie and Lis, this is a good deed she was talking about, I can’t believe you misunderstood it. Or maybe you just don’t like her and didn’t WANT to understand it.
I’m not a big fan either, but still…
May 13th, 2009 at 10:05 am
ditto on all of you who can read. that said -thank goodness she is ok, very terrifying, and thank even more goodness (yes i made that up) she is doing something to help others not as fortunate. on a side…love then name emme maribel.
May 13th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Thanks Mariel. I appriciate you telling me nicely. Yes, I did TOTALLY misunderstand her statement, and now it does make much more sense. I take back what I said in my first post.
And I apologize to all those I offended. Goodness. I guess I am an idiot for misunderstanding…
May 13th, 2009 at 10:13 am
My two year old daughter has CHD (congenital heart disease) and had open heart surgery and more to come. She also has other procedures and visits with specialized doctors. It is very difficult to worry about the bills along with the natural worry you have for your child.
We are one of many families in this country that falls in the middle bracket. We make too much to qualify for govt medical assistance and yet we get medical bills that cost more than the value of our house.
That’s wonderful she supports the organization to help families. I’m glad her daughter checked out fine.
May 13th, 2009 at 10:33 am
Lis, I’m sorry all those people jumped on you and Stephanie. It’s obvious that you just misunderstood what was written. Guys, back off and give somebody room for making a mistake. Let the perfect person here cast the first stone, okay?
May 13th, 2009 at 11:17 am
I don’t see how anyone can misinterpret her statement considering all the points being made. Some people look to start trouble with their comments. Good for Jennifer. I think all children should have medical coverage for any and all illnesses.
May 13th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
I really have no idea how anyone would misinterpret Jennifer’s comments here. Think, people, about what you are reading as Haylo said. Do you really think Jennifer Lopez would believe she couldn’t afford the best possible medical care for her children? Sheesh.
May 13th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Lisa -
I feel for you. My mom became disabled a few years ago and after going through the SSI application process and the Medicaid process for nearly a year, I broke down with one of the staff there and just asked, “Would it be better if I were to put my mother out on the street and claim I wasn’t taking care of her instead?” And the answer, sadly, is yes: The whole social safety system in the U.S. is based on forcing people to make the amoral choice – for people like us who fall in between, and who have done everything right – to choose to quit our jobs, reduce our assets to a subsistence level and then rely on substandard care when we do.
I hope more celebrities have this epiphany (I’m sure many have as we’ve read here) and make funds available as well as publicize their “what ifs.”
May 13th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Lisa-
My son also has CHD and had open heart surgery at five months old. He is 6 now and last year I was talking to his cardiologist about how hard insurance is with him, we had recently changed insurance companies and they were trying to deny cardiology bills. Anyway he told me about a program and then had a caseworker come right up and talk to us. We are in Ohio, not sure if it’s in your state, but it’s Bureau for Children With Medical Handicaps. They cover all things cardiology related that your insurance will not pay, no questions asked. They also pay for all dental care. I say they pay for all things cardiology but they pay for whatever each child has whether it be asthma, cancer, CHD etc. I just say cardiology cuz that’s what it is in our case. We did not have to submit anything about income I think given the nature of his condition. It is a tremendous relief and helps a lot. Like I said he was 5 months old at surgery time and we didn’t find out about this program until he was 5!! I wish I had known sooner, may be worth you looking into to see if your state has the bureau as well.
Best of luck to you and God bless you and your little one, it’s a tough thing to go through 
May 13th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
I find it funny how Lis feels she is allowed to make a mistake. If I’m not mistaken, Lis is always calling celebrities out on their mistaks. Tell me, how does it feel to be on the other side? Ha, LOL!
May 13th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Gosh I’m so sad to read about the poor quality of medical services in a country like the US. Always going on and waving your flags about being the best country in the world yet you do not allow equal access to health care for children. What kind of country calls itself great yet allows babies to go untreated because their parents are poor? It’s like a 3rd world country. Horrific.
May 14th, 2009 at 12:26 am
I agree with Tee! Lis and Stephanie, I am sorry as well. I mis-understood the statement for a split-second as well, so I can see how it happened to you guys.
May 14th, 2009 at 12:30 am
I also think it’s very touching that the foundation is named “The Maribel Foundation” as Maribel is not only Emme’s middle name, but also the name of Marc’s sister, who died of a brain tumor.
What a sweet way to honor both Emme and the aunt that she never got a chance to know!
May 14th, 2009 at 4:11 am
i guess i’m the only one wondering what was up with the bump on Emme’s head? they never really said. do bumps just show up for no reason? i mean there was a bump. so what, did she fall on her head or did her brother bop her with a toy? just because they didn’t find anything doesn’t mean that’s the end of it. i would get a second opinion if it didn’t go away. doctors are humans, they make mistakes and can misdiagnose on occassions.
May 14th, 2009 at 8:14 am
Ladies, why is English so hard to comprehend, Jennifer was merely making a statement. The focus should be on the children who can’t afford medical services not on a statement.
May 14th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Good for them for starting this foundation. Not being able to afford the health care your child needs would be very scary.
May 14th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
I can’t believe some people jumped on Jen for saying nothing offensive at all. Then again, you never know who’s dyslexic here and who isn’t.
This is how I interpreted her thought-process: “what if I were poor and couldn’t afford to pay for doctors, medicines and procedures?”
May 15th, 2009 at 1:13 am
Mary- Jennifer doesn’t have to share the details about Emme’s bump with us. Anyway, Emme obviously doesn’t have the bump anymore, as it’s not visable in pictures of her (and she isn’t usually wearing hats).