A toddler was left permanently paralyzed and brain-damaged — after choking on a piece of apple at his day care.

Neihana Renata of New Zealand was 22 months old in May 2016 when the piece of fruit got stuck in his throat at the Little Lights Kindy nursery in Rotorua, Stuff.nz reported Monday.

Teachers tried to remove the lodged fruit and to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. But the young boy went into cardiac arrest for 30 minutes, starving his brain of oxygen and leaving him with severe cerebral palsy.

Before the incident, the tot loved to dance, run and play outside. Now, he can’t walk, talk or move his body.

He’s prone to chest infections and is forced to make frequent visits to the hospital. His mom has made it her career as a doctor to care for him.

The incident prompted the Evolve Education Group, which owns the nursery and more than 100 others, to change its food policy. Starting in 2017, apples and other hard fruits and vegetables can only be served to children under 3 if they are peeled, grated, cooked or mashed, Stuff.nz reported.