The Miracle of Life

The birth of a child, a new life, is always a miracle. Children are a gift from God and blessings in our lives. Each of my three children brought miracles into my life in a certain way, and I’m sure many of us could say the same. Our oldest, Megan, taught me to let go of control and trust God, and His grace was evident as she grew. Just realizing the miracle of life and the joy that she brought led us back to the Lord and our Church. After a miscarriage and some health issues, it seemed that I was not going to be able to have any more children naturally. We were led to adopt, and after a series of small miracles, our middle son Benjamin arrived on his first birthday from Korea. It was clear that the hand of God selected him especially for our family. Always smiling, Ben was filled with joy and brought blessings to us all.

Sometimes, however, a child can not only be a gift and a miracle, but also show us clearly the supernatural power of God. Such was the case with my third child, Helena. A few years after Ben's adoption, while I was taking a few classes to get finish my teaching certificate, I began to have health issues, both emotional and physical. I spent a good six months seeing doctors and finding no answers, and became discouraged and depressed. It was at this time that I began to read the diary of Sister Faustina, (now St. Faustina), where she shared God’s message of Mercy, and how we can experience His divine mercy in our own lives. As I began to understand this young nun and her message, a transformation in my own heart took place. While she endured so much suffering, she continued to have a close and intimate relationship with Jesus. Reading her diary, I found my own heart growing closer to the Lord, and I was able to surrender some of my own pain and depression into His hands.

I began to feel better, yet I was still having some physical problems. A friend of mine recommended a doctor that could possibly help me, and at this point I was happy to try another opinion. After an exam, the doctor thought I might have endometriosis, and suggested I have a laparoscopy done. A laparoscopy is a rather invasive test, taking pictures inside to see what was actually going on. He set up the test at the hospital, and scheduled it for August 15^th, the Feast of the Assumption. I felt this was a sign from our Blessed Mother, that She would take care of me and I was at peace.

The results of the laparoscopy finally showed the source of the problem. I had a severe case of endometriosis, and the doctor suggested a hysterectomy, as the disease was in the fourth stage. Endometriosis causes severe sores in the reproductive system, and mine had spread to other organs. No wonder I hadn’t been able to have any children for the last 8 years! While I knew surgery was the answer, I was still reluctant. Is this what God wanted? The church had taught us to be open to life. Although due to the disease, we had not been able to have a child for almost 11 years.

I had many questions, so I began to pray and study to know God’s will.

“What should I do?” I remember asking a friend one day. “I feel miserable, but is having the surgery what God wants?”

I'll never forget her response. “Sandi, put it in God’s hands. Schedule the surgery. If He doesn’t want you to have it, He’ll put something in the way.”

Since I continued to feel especially poor, I decided to go forward with the surgery. I called the doctor to make an appointment to discuss the details. Around that same time, Greg announced something exciting that would be happening right here in our own city. Ivan, the visionary from Medjugorje, would be visiting our area and would have his apparition of Mary at a nearby chapel. Needless to say, we were excited as we awaited the visit from our Lady (You can read about Medjugorje in one of the earlier blog posts).

That evening in October of 1996, about thirty of us gathered in the tiny chapel at St. Vincent’s Center, home of the retired priests. As Ivan knelt in prayer, an amazing sense of peace and God’s presence was felt by all. I remember praying for the upcoming surgery and asked our Lord to please grant me wisdom and discernment to make the right decision about the surgery. When the apparition was over, Ivan spoke to us about our Lady’s messages, and what she had said that evening. He told us many things, but I remember he said she prayed over each of us, especially the sick. It was an amazing evening of grace.

A few weeks later, coming out of one of my night classes, I was feeling a bit queasy. Could I possibly be pregnant, I thought? Immediately I remember laughing, thinking that was a ridiculous thought. Because of my disease, I knew conceiving a child would be impossible...of course I’m not pregnant!!  It was just wishful thinking. I had taken dozens of pregnancy tests over the last 8 years, always hoping they would come up positive: not one ever did.

The Holy Spirit, however, kept prompting me to take the test. I volunteered at a crisis pregnancy clinic, and it was close by. The clinic was closed, but as a volunteer I had a key, so I went in and took a pregnancy test. As I picked up the small plastic test to look at the results, I could hardly believe my eyes. POSITIVE!!! This was a miracle! I remember walking around the clinic screaming, singing, and praising God. Thank goodness I was all by myself!

When I called the doctor, I told him that I wouldn’t be needing the surgery, as the Lord had other plans. He nearly fell over when he found out I was pregnant. He was certain that it would be impossible knowing the extent of the disease, and he also called it a miracle. Remembering that we had recently experienced an apparition of our Lady and Her prayers, we began reflecting on the due date and how far along I was. It seemed our new life would have been conceived the same week that we were present at the apparition! Jesus had brought about the miraculous gift of life through our Lady’s loving hands.

As the pregnancy progressed, I again felt the Holy Spirit revealing that this baby was a girl, and I was to name her Helena, which was St. Faustina’s name before she entered the convent. During a difficult and dark time in my life, St. Faustina’s diary and her intercession had brought me such comfort, and the miracle of the pregnancy was truly a gift of God’s Mercy. We chose Marie to be her middle name, after our Blessed Mother, as it was her love and intercession that brought about this miracle.

On July 4^th, 1997, Helena Marie made her first appearance in the world. She has just turned twenty-eight and continues to be a blessing to everyone who knows her.

While every life conceived is a gift from God, there are times when He allows us to see His creative power in a miraculous way. Let us always be grateful for His great gift of life!

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” – Psalm 139:13-14