This blog post is dedicated to a little angel baby, who gave up her life but in doing so, saved her mothers.
Late Tuesday evening, a family in Maui were on their way home from a party where they had shared food, laughter, and fellowship with the other members of their church. Mike and Tiana, who was 7 months pregnant, and their 5 young children, had been attending the church there since May 2009; not even a full year. But their faith has been strong and they fully trust in God and have been thankful to Him for turning their lives around.
On this Tuesday, the roads were wet and what was normally a routine drive home on familiar roads became a horrific scene as Mike lost control of the truck. Hydoplaning, they skid out before rolling over about three times. When they finally landed and the rescuers came, the children were miraculously fairly well with the exception of the 3 year old girl with a broken wrist. Mike received injuries to his leg, but he could not take the time to dwell on his own injuries, because his pregnant wife Tiana was obviously fighting for her very life. At the hospital, it was just a few hours later that the medical team realized that the unborn baby no longer had a heartbeat. But in their desperate attempts to save Tiana’s life, removing the baby was not a priority, although they didn’t understand the significance of this decision at the time. Tiana had head lacerations, major internal organ damage, a shattered pelvis, and many more wounds. The bleeding would not stop and she received over half a dozen blood transfusions. Not an ounce of her own blood remained in her battered body. She remained in surgery on Maui while frantic doctors did everything within their power to stabilize her. Meanwhile, doctors and nurses were mystified at the loud roar coming from the waiting room; it sounded like a riot of people, out of control. Someone finally told them that it was not a riot; it was members of Mike and Tiana’s church, who had taken over the waiting room and transformed it into a prayer room, where they were unabashedly crying out to God at the tops of their voices. The Coast Guard was called upon to send a helicopter to transport her to Oahu, where she could be seen at the major trauma center for the entire Pacific area; Queens Medical Center. Finally, about 18 hours after the accident, she was successfully transported to Oahu.
Mike, still wearing the clothes he’d had on during the accident and refusing medical treatment for his leg, left his children in the loving care of friends and family members and came with his wife. Church members on Maui, Oahu, and the mainland were bombarding heaven on their behalf. Tiana, however, was not expected to live.
At Queens, this time late Wednesday night, Tiana again returned to a cold steel operating room table and was under the desperate hands of worried doctors, who were trying everything within their power and knowledge to save her. Her sweet baby remained inside of her, and it was beginning to dawn on the doctors that Tiana should already be dead. The combination of injuries that she’d sustained, the loss of blood, the amount of time that had passed since her accident….it all added up to the medical reality that Tiana was inexplicably alive. And then the mystery was solved; her unborn baby was keeping Mommy alive. Although the baby had died hours after the accident, because of its size, weight, and location it was putting just enough pressure on certain injured areas….stopping certain amounts of bleeding….keeping just the right organs from shutting down completely. From the time of the accident to nearly 24 hours later, she had sustained her mom.Even in her death, that baby girl was working hard. In fact, in her brief time on earth she did more for her mother than some people will do in their entire lives; and all without her taking a single breath.
An obstetrician was summoned and when the medical team was ready, the baby girl was removed by caesarian and the team began to work on saving Tiana in the way that her baby had already been doing. In her own way, she had shown them what to do and thankfully they learned enough from her to continue her task.
When the OB doctor came and relayed this information to Mike, Mike revealed that he and Tiana had already privately decided on their unborn baby’s name, long before the accident. He allowed his wife’s mother to gather everyone together in the waiting room and make the birth announcement for her precious granddaughter. She spoke of how God’s ways are mysterious and yet perfect, and although we cannot understand it, God arranged for that baby girl to exist for the reason to save her mom, and that now Praise Marie Mose (Moz-ay) was with her Creator after having done her job.
With Tiana still on the operating room table, Praise Marie was carefully wrapped in a blanket and given a soft baby hat. Mike was led to a private room and allowed to meet his daughter. After some time alone, he asked that everyone else be brought in, a few at a time, to meet her. I walked in with my pastor. He knew I was struggling with the decision to see this baby, in light of my recent and still-painful miscarriage. Something inside of me drove me to that room and to that baby, although most people may never understand why I wanted to do this. I saw Mike, tenderly cradling a precious and adorable 4 pound little girl. She had rosy skin, dark hair, and perfectly formed features. Long dark eyelashes softly touched chubby cheeks. Full lips closed in a peaceful expression.
My first feeling was, I admit, jealously. Mike was getting to hold his little girl, and I hadn’t been able to. Later, my husband confessed that jealousy had also been his initial reaction. We are, after all, only human. But instantly the jealousy turned to amazement. Adoration. Love. Awe. That little hero baby was gorgeous and perfect. It would be impossible to gaze upon her little face and NOT acknowledge the existence of a mighty God. Pastor and I wept as Mike softly whispered into his daughters face, kissing and nuzzling her as he told her to go find Ashleigh (Pastor’s daughter who drowned when she was 2), and Evangeline Joy, my own daughter. “You’ll find friends already,” he told her. “Cousins!” It was so sweet.
In that moment, I began to feel peace. Seeing Praise’s face put flesh and blood on the image in my mind, of Evangeline. I gazed at Praise and knew that without a doubt, those tiny souls were together with Jesus. I was actually looking at someone who already knew my baby girl. With tears I mourned again for my Evangeline Joy, but began to finally feel healing begin in my heart. I will see her one day. I will hug her. I will hold her. Until then, she is being cared for and although I will miss her for the rest of my life, I have Hope.
With the hospital's permission, Mike would be allowed to hold Praise through a long night, savoring every possible moment with her until the hospital would have to take her away and prepare her body for a funeral. I know that God was with Mike last night in that quiet hospital room. I will never forget that image in my head, of a large yet humble, gentle man, with a tiny blanketed still figure in his large arms. A Daddy so proud of his little girl that he couldn't bear to stop holding her. Praise certainly deserves every bit of love, recognition, and attention that she got through the night from her earthly father, even as her soul was already with her heavenly one.
After a little more time, Tiana was wheeled into ICU and the surgeon came to talk to the family. In short, she was stable. Of course she still has a long mountain to climb, and more surgeries to endure, but she was in fairly good condition after the long ordeal. Beyond any doubt, she is a miracle that medical science cannot accept credit for. Although it is through the care and expertise of the doctors that she is alive and well, in the end the doctors could only do so much. Those of us in the waiting room know the reality; God in heaven has been in control the whole time, and in His infinite love and mercy He gave Praise to Mike and Tiana, and Praise saved her Mommy.
