MINNEAPOLIS— A couple from Minnesota who is stuck in Brazil with their newborn son got good news.
On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn. has announced an update after speaking with parents Cheri and Chris Phillips, she said she cut through some “red tape” with the Brazilian embassy to get baby Greyson back to the United States.
“We can finally confirm that Greyson will soon have his passport to come home,” Smith said in a post on X.
Cheri and Chris Phillips of Cambridge, Minnesota, were about six months pregnant when they went to Brazil for two weeks last February. Doctors had approved and encouraged the trip, with Phillips’ due date not until early June.
However, two days before the couple was due to return home, Greyson was born three months premature. He weighed just over 2 pounds and doctors had to resuscitate his heart.
After 51 days in intensive care, Greyson was cleared to go home. But to leave Brazil, the baby would need a passport as well as a birth certificate, which would be in favor of the Brazilian legal system.
WCCO
The family sought help from Smith and the Brazilian government to return home.
This is evident from data released earlier this year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The rate of preterm and preterm birth has increased in the U.S. over the past decade.
WCCO will continue to follow this story and stay updated as the family returns home.
Adam Duxter
