WE NEVER ASK WHY

The Emery triplets all have cerebral palsy, but parents Chantel and Rob are determined to focus on the positive

- JANA VAN DER MERWE

THEY’VE had to face some hard knocks in life: a car crash left Chantel Emery in a wheelchair, then came the shock news that she and husband Rob had triplets on the way. The babies’ traumatic birth on the bathroom floor at home followed – three tiny boys slipped out one after the other at just 26 weeks.

But then came another shock for the couple: a fourth baby surprised them on their arrival in hospital. Chantel was indeed pregnant with quadruplets. Sadly, the parents were left devastated when one of the babies, Bradley, didn’t survive, passing away 16 days later.

YOU visited the family twice in the first year of the babies’ life, telling the story of their dramatic entry into the world and how the surviving three – Gabriel, Daniel and Harvey – were getting on.

Now we’re visiting the Emerys again – but this time it’s via video call from Bournemouth in the UK, where the family have lived since 2018.

And the challenges continue. Chantel (39) isn’t the only one in a wheelchair any more – all three of the boys need wheelchairs too.

Chantel and Rob (42) knew premature babies took a while to reach the milestones enjoyed by full-term tots but they believed they’d get there in time.

But just months after arriving in the UK they received the devastating diagnosis: their three sons all have cerebral palsy. “I burst into tears,” Chantel recalls. “But we had to stay strong because the boys need us.

“When I survived that car crash seven years ago, I was grateful it had happened to me and not one of my loved ones. But with my children, it’s hard.