Kildare family launches fundraiser for fighter Emily in Crumlin Hospital

A KILDARE TOWN family has launched a fundraiser to support their baby daughter Emily, who has spent most of her short life in hospital battling a serious neurological condition.

Ten-month-old Emily from Kildare Town, was born on 17 July 2025, to parents Caroline and Paddy, who had recently married and bought what relatives described as their “forever home”.

The couple had been looking forward to welcoming their first child but shortly after Emily’s birth, she was admitted to the NICU at Crumlin Hospital.

Since then, the 10-month-old has faced a series of life-threatening medical challenges due to what doctor’s can only describe as a “developmental delay”.

Her aunt, Yvonne, who spoke with the Kildare Nationalist about the family’s story, said Emily’s condition affects her airway and ability to swallow safely, requiring constant medical care and monitoring.

“Emily is now almost 10 months old and back in ICU in Crumlin, continuing to fight every single day,” she said.

Earlier this year, the family experienced a brief moment of hope when Emily was discharged home after months in hospital. However, just 10 days later, she suffered a devastating aspiration event that led to respiratory and cardiac arrest.

She required CPR and has since experienced two additional respiratory arrests.

Speaking about the ordeal, Yvonne described the little girl as “a warrior”.

“When she was brought in in the ambulance on Bank Holiday Monday, it was so serious,” she said. “A doctor could have come out and told them she had passed away.

“But when Caroline and Paddy came into the room and started talking to her, she responded to them. The nurses were saying they needed to increase her sedation because she was fighting through it to react to her parents.” The family are now reaching out to the community via their GoFundMe page, which was set up by Emily’s aunt, Maria. However, Yvonne said that the decision to reach out didn’t come easy for parents Caroline and Paddy.

“They’re accepting now that they need help. But it’s such a big step for a private family to ask for help,” she said.

Emily has spent nearly all of her life in hospital, with relatives estimating she has been home for only three to four weeks in total since birth.

Yvonne said one of the hardest aspects is that Emily has not had the opportunity to experience normal developmental milestones because of her prolonged hospital stays.

“She hasn’t had the chance to just be on the floor, crawl around, look at things, have tummy time, all those things babies do,” she said.

The fundraiser aims to ease the financial burden on Emily’s parents, who are currently unable to work while remaining by their daughter’s side in hospital.

Funds raised will go towards travel and hospital expenses, adapting the family home for Emily’s future medical needs, and purchasing essential care equipment.

Yvonne said: “This is one practical way people can help, because the stress of money is the last thing they need right now.”

Nearly €17,000 has been raised through GoFundMe for the baby girl through generous donations.

People can donate here by searching for the ‘Emily’ fundraiser on gofundme.com set up Emily’s aunt Maria Coscoran.