After suffering severe brain damage, this baby had little time left to live. So her sister blew on her belly, and something magical happened.
Amy and Steven Smith welcomed their fourth child into the world, their beautiful girl, Pop. She was born after 29 weeks of gestation, weighing 0.9 kg due to her premature birth. Spending several weeks in the neonatal ward, Pop was finally discharged home. However, after a few months, her parents noticed she was regurgitating her food. They took her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with Mobius syndrome, a rare neurological disorder affecting facial muscle control and swallowing.
Devastated by the news, her parents just wanted their daughter to have a normal life. While Pop might never have the opportunity to walk or talk normally again, this girl defied all the doctors’ expectations. At 15 months, she started walking on her own, much to her parents’ delight. Witnessing her taking those first steps was incredible. “We managed to remove her feeding tube around her first birthday, and throughout 2016, Pop continued to improve every day,” said her father.
The young girl still had to visit the hospital a few times due to breathing problems. However, her doctors were amazed at her progress. She was a fighter. Unfortunately, just before her second birthday on December 17th, 2016, she experienced another horrible ordeal. A few days before her special day, her mother went to wake her up but found her unable to get up and appearing very scared. They rushed her to Ford General Hospital, where the doctors worked to stabilize her before transferring her to Children’s Hospital at DH High to Liverpool for further treatment.
Two days later, her health had improved enough for her to be removed from the respirator. Amy and her husband were overjoyed. Just two days later, they celebrated their daughter’s birthday at the hospital. However, they soon realized something was wrong as the girl appeared very uncomfortable. Her eyes began to roll, and a chest x-ray revealed that her lungs were full of fluid. She suffered a respiratory arrest that night, experiencing spasms and convulsions, her condition deteriorating rapidly.
“It was the hardest moment of our entire life. Imagine not knowing if you will see your little princess smile again,” said Steven. The doctors revealed overwhelming results from an MRI, informing them that their daughter’s health prognosis was uncertain. “I asked if she was going to walk or talk again, but they told me they didn’t even know if she was going to survive. When I started to understand, it broke my heart,” he said.
Luckily, the doctors were able to help her breathe on her own, but she remained unresponsive. According to her father, she couldn’t feel anything. Her family supported her, but all they could do was look at her. The girl was transferred to a high-dependency unit, where she received a visit from her lovely family who came to spend some time with her. But they never knew that something extraordinary was about to happen.
One of Pop’s older sisters approached her and blew on her small belly. According to Pop’s father, that was the incredible moment when his beautiful daughter laughed. Despite everything the doctors had done, that gesture was enough for her to regain consciousness. It was a miracle they didn’t expect. Later, she started moving her legs and arms, though the doctors said it could be spinal reflexes. Her father refused to believe them; he believed there was something more.
Every day, she got better. She finally regained consciousness, surprising the doctors who were in charge of her case. Though still a little weak, her father believed life would get better, and within two months, what Steven believed happened. His beautiful daughter began to learn to crawl and talk again. It was incredible progress, baffling the doctors who said she shouldn’t be doing what she was doing, but she was proving them wrong.
To help speed up her healing, her family created a GoFundMe page to raise money for her intense physical therapy sessions. Many people made contributions to help in Pop’s rehabilitation process. Though the treatment was not done in her country due to inadequate facilities, her family believed that undergoing physical therapy every day would help improve her mobility. Though she went through tough situations in her first two years of life, she is now fine.
Her parents will forever keep this miracle in their hearts. Their beautiful girl had a second chance to live again thanks to what her older sister did. This extraordinary story is a perfect reminder that whatever situation we find ourselves in, we must never give up because there is always light at the end of the tunnel. If you have been inspired by this girl’s incredible story, share it with others and spread hope. Until next time.
