Kirkwood girl with heart defect named grand marshal of Thanks-for-Giving Parade

KIRKWOOD, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Make-A-Wish surprised 8-year-old Emily Simon of Kirkwood with news that she will be the grand marshal of a parade downtown. Emily will lead the Thanks for Giving Parade on Nov. 21.

Emily Simon has a heart defect and has had health issues since birth. She had surgeries in her first few years of life. She is doing better today.

“She has wished to be in a parade for a very long time, and it’s a very special day,” Lauren Simon, Emily’s mother, said.

Lauren Simon said she plans to advise her daughter to practice before the parade.

“What I’m going to advise her to do is go home and work on her wave. She’s got to be waving to the crowd. So that’s a lot of work going downtown. And then she just gets to have the most fun on the castle float with her family and friends as she can,” she said.