CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Rachel Pedeaux cherishes being a mom to her three young children.
Her brother, Giancarlo Rodriguez, says her kids miss her deeply.
Pedeaux, 33, has remained hospitalized since the day after Thanksgiving.
While visiting family in South Florida from New Orleans, she suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed.
“She was basically found unresponsive at the house,” Rodriguez said. “Her son found her.”
Doctors later discovered she had an undiagnosed congenital heart condition called Wolff Parkinson White.
The rare condition, present at birth, can cause symptoms such as chest pain, fainting, and rapid or fluttering heartbeats.
Although Pedeaux was previously healthy, she ended up in a coma for a week.
Her family was told to prepare for the worst until she began showing positive signs.
“We were saying our goodbyes, and it wasn’t until a few days later she started to open her eyes and move,” Rodriguez said. “It was something where Antoine and Maria were like, no, like, she’s there, she’s there, and we felt it from the beginning.”
She is currently receiving care at Kindred Hospital in Coral Gables, which specializes in long-term treatment.
Her family and doctors say small miracles continue to unfold as she recovers.
“She’s awake, she’s aware of what’s going on,” Rodriguez said. “Every day, she gets more articulate.”
Pedeaux will need extensive neurological rehabilitation and ongoing cardiac care. Her family is seeking additional medical treatments and therapies not covered by insurance to give her the best chance at recovery.
She will have to relearn everything, including how to talk and walk. Her recovery will be lifelong, but her family remains cautiously optimistic, placing their trust in medicine, God, and her doctors.
“There have been amazing cases where people like her were young who made a really strong recovery,” Rodriguez said.
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