Six-Month-Old ‘Miracle Baby’ With Serious Heart and Lung Issues Survives CCP Virus

(Illustration - Dmitry Naumov/Shutterstock)

The parents of a 6-month-old baby with congenital heart and lung issues are celebrating her miraculous recovery from the CCP virus. The “miracle baby” girl received a standing ovation from NHS staff upon leaving the ICU and has become a symbol of hope for others.

Baby Erin Bates was born in October 2019 with a congenital heart condition that required open-heart surgery, as well as a complication with her windpipe. She spent weeks in and out of hospitals.

In January 2020, Erin became seriously ill with a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). She was on the way to making a full recovery when her parents, Emma and Wayne, learned that their baby girl had a brand-new battle on her hands.

Erin tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, England, on April 10. Her father, Wayne, 32, told the Lancashire Telegraph that his daughter’s diagnosis was “very hard to digest.”

After trying for a decade to get pregnant, Emma and Wayne had been told they might never conceive naturally. “Erin will be our first and last child,” said Wayne. “She really is a miracle baby for us.”

Upon learning that their baby girl had the virus, the devastated parents were required to separate; Emma, 29, stayed with Erin in the hospital while Wayne was instructed to self-isolate at the family home in Bury, Greater Manchester.

Pictures of baby Erin hooked up to a ventilator in her ICU hospital bed were shared online by various news outlets. Erin’s parents hoped that by being open about their daughter’s distressing condition, others may be encouraged to stay indoors.

Wayne admitted that he takes infractions personally. “People cannot continue to walk around still thinking that they will not get [the CCP virus],” he said. “People need to stay at home, it is the easiest thing ever that we are being asked to do.”

The main entrance of Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, northwest England (PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Erin, despite having suffered poor health since the day she was born, fought hard in the hospital. Emma and Wayne received joyous news on April 24 that against the odds, their daughter was going to pull through, reported Daily Mail. Wayne was reunited with his wife for the first time since their mandatory separation.

“Erin has beaten the virus,” Wayne said. “It hit her hard with a few ups and downs, but we wanted people to know coronavirus doesn’t have to be a death sentence for people with pre-existing conditions.”

Wayne said their baby girl is “all smiles and talking to herself” since getting the all clear. On April 24 while leaving the ICU, Erin and her mother received a standing ovation from the ward’s medical staff, dressed head to toe in personal protective equipment.

Erin will remain in the hospital until she is bigger, stronger, and breathing on her own, but her parents very much hope that she will make it home in time for her birthday in October. In accordance with hospital policy, Emma will continue to be the only parent who is allowed contact with Erin until social distancing measures are relaxed.

Wayne praised the incredible work of the staff at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital as instrumental in his daughter’s recovery. “Emma and I want to thank them from the bottom of our hearts for all they have done for Erin,” Wayne told the Lancashire Telegraph.

“Never could we have wished for more kind and caring people to be looking after our baby,” he continued. “They are all putting their own lives at risk for little reward. We are eternally grateful.”

To help Emma and Wayne cope with the financial burden of Erin’s ongoing care, a family friend set up a GoFundMe account in their name.

“Asking for help is the last thing the family have wanted to do,” wrote Johanna Sellars, “but no one expected for Erin to be as poorly as she has been & with this likely to be ongoing for a very long time yet, they need all the help they can get.”

While the months ahead will bring trials of their own, “miracle baby” Erin Bates, and her recovery story against the odds, is offering hope to people everywhere.