Miracle Baby's Fight for Life After Choking on Strawberry Leaves Family Stranded in UK
Doctors are engaged in a desperate battle to save the life of a one-year-old girl described as a "miracle" baby, who suffered catastrophic brain damage after choking on a piece of fruit. Emanuelly Rodrigues, who was visiting London from Brazil with her family, went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated in hospital following the horrific incident.
Devastating Medical Emergency
The one-year-old's brain was starved of oxygen for approximately thirty minutes during the choking episode on February 3. Medical teams were forced to intubate the infant before placing her into an induced coma that lasted more than a week. Emanuelly is now blind, unable to walk or talk, and must be fed through a tube.
Her father, Luiz Rodrigues, aged 23, recounted the terrifying sequence of events to the Daily Mail: "Emanuelly choked on a strawberry. The babysitter tried to dislodge it without success before running into the street asking for help. A medical student who was passing by picked Emanuelly up and ran to the hospital."
He continued, detailing the medical response: "They began the process to clear her airways and perform CPR. It took about 30 minutes until they managed to resuscitate her. Soon after, she was intubated and transferred to St Mary's Hospital where she remained in an induced coma for eight days."
Family Stranded Without Medical Coverage
The Rodrigues family—parents Wanessa and Luiz, along with their older daughter Isabela—had been visiting London from Brazil for four months when the tragedy occurred. They now find themselves in a precarious legal and medical limbo, unable to secure the specialist treatment Emanuelly urgently requires because they are in the United Kingdom on tourist visas without valid medical insurance.
Emanuelly has been hospitalized for over forty-one days and requires specialist neuro-rehabilitation therapy, which is not being offered under her current care arrangement. According to a GoFundMe campaign established by family friend Heidi Dunn, the one-year-old is not medically fit to travel on a commercial flight back to Brazil, and an air ambulance would cost far beyond the family's means.
Ms Dunn explained the family's dire situation: "As a parent, seeing them go through such a devastating situation with little support motivated me to set up a GoFundMe to help. Wanessa and Luiz arrived in London from Brazil in November 2025 with their two daughters. What was meant to be a temporary visit has become a medical and personal crisis."
Severe Neurological Damage and Ongoing Care
Emanuelly's medical condition remains extremely serious. She is currently receiving constant care at Watford General Hospital but awaits proper neuro-rehabilitation. The infant experiences considerable difficulty breathing, cannot sit, walk, speak, or make voluntary movements, and has lost her vision. She cries frequently and is fed exclusively through a feeding tube.
Her medical regimen includes anticonvulsant medication to prevent or reduce the severity of epileptic fits, along with sedatives and painkillers. Mr Rodrigues noted that Emanuelly also presents with dystonia—characterized by uncontrolled and sometimes painful muscle spasms—and muscle rigidity.
"These are very difficult, worrying, and very sad days, with no solutions being found," the distressed father told the Mail. "We feel anguish, despair and fear. She is a very special child, very intelligent, and loves playing with her older sister. She enjoys watching cartoons and loved visiting the parks in the United Kingdom."
Visa Complications and Fundraising Efforts
The family has been advised that obtaining a medical letter confirming Emanuelly is unfit for commercial air travel might enable them to apply for a visa extension, allowing her to remain in the UK for treatment. However, the hospital has not yet provided this documentation, leaving the family in bureaucratic limbo.
Heidi Dunn's GoFundMe campaign aims to raise £16,000 to support Emanuelly's care in the UK. The funds would cover specialist therapy and rehabilitation, medical equipment and supplies, transport to appointments, basic living expenses, and legal or professional support for visa or treatment options. To date, well-wishers have contributed more than £4,600.
Ms Dunn emphasized that the specialist treatment Emanuelly needs is not easily accessible in the family's home region of Brazil, and the Brazilian consulate has been unable to provide assistance. The parents feel they have been "left in the middle of all this waiting for appropriate treatment."
Hospital Statements and Family Hope
A spokesperson for Watford General Hospital stated: "This is a terribly sad and complex situation. We will continue to work with care and compassion with Emanuelly and her parents during what is deeply distressing time for them all."
A spokesperson for St Mary's Hospital added: "Our thoughts are with the whole family at this most sad and difficult time. Care is now being provided at another hospital, more local to the family."
Despite the overwhelming challenges, Emanuelly's father maintains hope. "Her situation is very delicate due to the severity of the injury, she may suffer serious permanent damage," he acknowledged. "Currently, she is stable, but everything can change. We believe she will be fine, she just needs treatment and time to recover. She is a warrior and a miracle."
