By LAURA BROOKHART / Community Columnist

On June 27, Emma Grace Hurt will be 9 years old. For her 8th birthday party, she and a group of friends enjoyed an outing at Uptown Salon having their hair, nails and makeup done.

2015 will bring a double celebration of sorts, as she and her family will depart on March 27 to Disney World with Make-A-Wish foundation.

They will stay at Give Kids the World, and among other plans, Emma Grace will visit the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, a magical beauty salon where little girls get princess makeovers.

“I’m excited that Emma Grace is getting a Make-A-Wish granted because she has been through so much in her young life,” her mother Kristin Hurt shared. “I want more people to be aware of and better understand the DiGeorge Syndrome that is now estimated to be present in 1 in 2,000 births.”

“Emma Grace was diagnosed with DiGeorge Syndrome in February 2011, but she is not terminal,” said Kristin Hurt.

Also known as VCFS, Velo-Cardio-Facial or 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, it’s caused by a defect in chromosome 22 and results in the poor development of several body systems.

It manifests differently from person to person depending on what part of the 22nd chromosome is missing.

Emma Grace loves all things from the movie Frozen. Elsa, Anna and Olaf posters cover the pink walls of her bedroom.

She is a dedicated collector of My Little Pony and enjoys her friends at school.

She received a signed card from classmates after heart surgery this past October and an Elsa Candy Cup from the HIS staff. That was her 13th surgery.

Emma Grace also loves to draw and enjoyed summer art classes in past years with Ms. Alice Lobell.

She has taken dance classes at Dance, Etc. since she was 3.

Parents Kristin and Corbett Hurt have lived in Helena for the past nine years. Corbett, who also has the (hereditary) 22q diagnosis, works for Fairway Lawns. Kristin works in customer service at Publix.

“My co-workers have been there for me,” she said. “Some days I just needed a shoulder to cry on. Customers, too, now always ask about Emma Grace. We love our community.”