She Left Texas on Vacation. She Came Home Unable to Swallow.

A 2-year-old Texas girl left home for what was supposed to be a family vacation. She came back months later unable to swallow, with her parents now preparing for a surgery that could leave her intubated and sedated for weeks.

Louis Garulle of Cedar Park is sharing the story of his daughter, Eliza Kathryn.

On July 7, while visiting her great-grandmother in Minnesota, Eliza suddenly became critically ill and had to be life-flighted to Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Louis says doctors discovered something the family never knew was there: a severe narrowing in Eliza’s esophagus stretching about 4 centimeters, with an opening the width of a coffee straw.

He says doctors believe a vomiting episode likely caused her esophagus to perforate, allowing fluid to spill into her chest and leading to a collapsed lung.

Their little girl nearly died.

For roughly two weeks, Eliza remained on a ventilator while chest tubes drained fluid from around her lung. Feeding tubes had to be placed directly into her stomach and small intestine because she could no longer safely swallow.

“Watching your baby fight for every breath, swollen and covered in tubes and wires, changes you forever,” Louis shared.

Eventually, Eliza became stable enough to return home to Texas. Coming home did not mean the nightmare was over.

The family is now consulting pediatric surgeons and GI specialists across the country after being told Eliza’s damaged esophagus cannot be saved. The plan being discussed is an extremely complex surgery using a section of her small intestine to create a new passage so she can eventually swallow again.

Louis says Eliza could remain intubated and heavily sedated for as long as two months after surgery, followed by years of physical and speech therapy as she learns how to swallow and eat safely.

All of this while Eliza’s mom, Ariel, is seven months pregnant with their second child.

Please keep this Cedar Park family in your prayers.
Pray surgeons find the safest path forward for Eliza.
Pray her little body is strong enough for what comes next.
And pray for Louis and Ariel as they try to welcome a new baby while carrying the fear of what lies ahead for their daughter.

Source: Account shared by Louis Garulle of Cedar Park, Texas, father of 2-year-old Eliza Kathryn, whose July 2026 emergency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester and planned esophageal reconstruction are also described in the family’s public fundraiser.