A Two- Fold Miracle from St Gerard

 

The following events, as told by our friend Jeff, prove that miracles do happen and saints do intercede for us. Sometimes more than we could ever imagine.

The First Miracle

My wife was pregnant with our sixth child, and we went in for the first ultrasound. After reviewing the results, the OBGYN told us that the baby had Cystic Hygroma (swelling behind the head and neck). They told us we needed to go to another hospital with specialists that dealt with this type of pregnancy. At the next hospital, we got some scary news. The Cystic Hygroma was a signal for a chromosome problem. Our baby had a 50-75% chance of having either down syndrome or turner syndrome (that only affects females). If it turned out not to be one of these, it would be more severe. The baby would probably not live to his or her first birthday. 

Needless to say, it was unnerving. We began to pray, and many families in our community began to pray for my wife and our baby. One of our friends gave us a Saint Gerard medal (the patron of expectant mothers). We prayed often for his intercession. At the next visit to the specialist, they wanted to take another ultrasound. We could tell their excitement almost immediately after the procedure. The swelling was completely gone! The doctors and nurses were excited, but they also warned us there was proof that the swelling had definitely been there. Although this was great news, we still had to proceed as if the baby may have a chromosome problem. We had ultrasounds every three to four weeks to measure the baby's growth and development, as well as check for swelling. We all kept praying, and every check up came back normal. 

At 28 weeks, they measured and checked the function of the heart. Again, it was all normal, and at that point, they told us there was no need to consider this a high risk pregnancy any longer. On Feb 15th, our prayers turned to thanksgiving as our 6^th child and 3^rd daughter was born. Everything was perfect! To us and to those around us, we felt certain that we had been blessed with a miracle!

A Two- Fold Miracle

St Gerard's intercession did not end there. One of the nurses came into our hospital room several hours after the birth to check on my wife. She had to leave suddenly to take a phone call. She was visibly upset when she returned. I am by nature a little too curious sometimes, so I asked her what was wrong. She was very open about her situation. She told us that she had been trying to get pregnant for a very long time, and the call she had just received was more bad news. My wife and I told her about what we had just gone through with this baby, and how many people were praying for and with us. We also mentioned our prayer to St. Gerard, as well as the medal we had received. The nurse said she was catholic, and her mother had actually mentioned St. Gerard to her at some point during her struggles. My wife told her that she would give her our St. Gerard medal when we left the hospital if she wanted it. The nurse agreed. The nurse was not there when we checked out, so we left it in an envelope for her at the nurse's station.

God's Great Plan Revealed

That was the last we knew of it until about 6 months later. My wife was attending a bible study, and someone there told her a story of a nurse at that same hospital who had been infertile up until she received a St. Gerard medal from a patient. That nurse was now pregnant with twins. Wow! We felt blessed that God would let us know that a second miracle had taken place.

Some time later, we were attending mass together, and my wife elbowed me and whispered “That’s the nurse!”  I looked a few rows ahead, and I saw her with two beautiful babies, about 6 months old!  Wow again!  After mass, my wife went up to her, and they recognized each other immediately. They both hugged and broke down crying. She then introduced us to her two miracles!