The ECMO circuit was turned down this morning and the left ventricle looked great (the side repaired during Monday's surgery), however the right ventricle is not responding. Teresa will have a heart catheterization tomorrow to check the pulmonary pressure. If meds can't help the left side, there is talk about a possible lung transplant (unlikely and very high risk) or a right ventricle assist device (RVAD) (short term solution only).
Options are becoming more limited, but Teresa is still fighting hard. Please don't stop praying for her!!
- Laura
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Tuesday update
Tomorrow (wed.) they will turn down the ECMO circuit to see if the new heart will function. We need the right ventricle to WORK and be STRONG. 8a.m. Wednesday. Please God!!!!!!!
Tuesday 6/25/13 day 7 ecmo
Today is Teresa's 1/2 year BIRTHDAY ! She is 6 1/2 today !
Last night's event having to come out of surgery on ECMO and severe bleeding coming out of everything with an opening, along with last Tuesday, cardiac arrest, Friday's ECMO circuit cannula cracking, was another time in our life that we would like to forget forever .
Today Teresa is stable at the moment. Dr. Fuller and her entire surgical team stayed late last night until she felt she was stable enough to leave. (She ordered them all Chinese food for dinner) Teresa would have LOVED this (her favorite food). Dr. Fuller is an amazing surgeon with a tremendously big heart! We have been so blessed to have her helping Teresa.
Dr. Fuller was able to fix the obstruction in her left atrium. The problem then became the right ventricle. It was not happy being on bypass for such a long period of time. Dr. Fuller thinks if the heart can rest a bit it will be able to recover. The plan is to try and turn down ECMO tomorrow while doing an ECHO to see how the heart functions . If all goes well she should be able to come off soon.
We are so happy that the left atrium obstruction could be repaired. This should also make the right ventricle very happy .
For one little orphan girl who only wanted a family of her own, I am in awe at what God has done for her in her life. Not only did HE give her a family, HE has made everyone in the world her family! The prayers, love and support coming in for Teresa from all over the world is nothing short of another miracle for Teresa. She is loved by so many.
Happy 1/2 year Birthday Sweet Princess Heart Warrior!
Last night's event having to come out of surgery on ECMO and severe bleeding coming out of everything with an opening, along with last Tuesday, cardiac arrest, Friday's ECMO circuit cannula cracking, was another time in our life that we would like to forget forever .
Today Teresa is stable at the moment. Dr. Fuller and her entire surgical team stayed late last night until she felt she was stable enough to leave. (She ordered them all Chinese food for dinner) Teresa would have LOVED this (her favorite food). Dr. Fuller is an amazing surgeon with a tremendously big heart! We have been so blessed to have her helping Teresa.
Dr. Fuller was able to fix the obstruction in her left atrium. The problem then became the right ventricle. It was not happy being on bypass for such a long period of time. Dr. Fuller thinks if the heart can rest a bit it will be able to recover. The plan is to try and turn down ECMO tomorrow while doing an ECHO to see how the heart functions . If all goes well she should be able to come off soon.
We are so happy that the left atrium obstruction could be repaired. This should also make the right ventricle very happy .
For one little orphan girl who only wanted a family of her own, I am in awe at what God has done for her in her life. Not only did HE give her a family, HE has made everyone in the world her family! The prayers, love and support coming in for Teresa from all over the world is nothing short of another miracle for Teresa. She is loved by so many.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Update - 8:45pm
The surgery successfully repaired the left atrium of the heart and blood flow is good. However when they took Teresa off bypass the right side wasn't happy, due to being on bypass for so long in the OR. Because of this they had to put her back on ECMO. She will remain on ECMO for a few days to give the right side time to rest. The hope is that the right ventricle will come back after these days of rest.
After Teresa left the OR and went to the room, she began bleeding out of her nose, mouth, eyes, IV sites, and chest. They gave her blood to bring the clotting factor to a good spot and bleeding stopped everywhere except her chest. She is currently still bleeding from her chest, but it will hopefully slow as the clotting factor increases. The surgeon is staying nearby to watch the bleeding -- if it continues into the night Teresa will have to go back into the OR.
Teresa is not out of the woods until the bleeding from her chest stops! Please pray that the bleeding stops soon, and that after a few days of rest the right ventricle will come back!!
- Laura
Update - 7:30pm
Teresa came out of surgery but has internal bleeding. If it can't be stopped they'll have to take her back into the OR. Please pray for the bleeding to stop!
Update: The bleeding has slowed down, but we don't know if surgery is needed yet.
- Laura
Update
Heart repair is done . Have not been told exactly what was done yet . Trying to see If she can come off ECMO . Will know in 30 minutes . Please pray she can come off of life support and the heart will function beautifully !
Today Show @ 8:33am
The Today Show segment featuring Teresa's story will air at 8:33am EST on NBC today!
- Laura
(We were previously told 8:45 but just got an update that it will now air at 8:33)
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Surgery on Monday
Surgery will start around 12 on Monday to repair Teresa's left atrium. It should last around 4-6 hours.
Dr. Fuller will do one of two things that she feels will fix the problem . 1. widen the narrowing left atrium pulmonary veins by using a homograft or 2. move the left atrium wall making it easier for blood to fill the atrium. She said she will have to wait until she gets in there to figure out what she will do .
Dr. Fuller will do one of two things that she feels will fix the problem . 1. widen the narrowing left atrium pulmonary veins by using a homograft or 2. move the left atrium wall making it easier for blood to fill the atrium. She said she will have to wait until she gets in there to figure out what she will do .
Teresa's
left atrium was very small and a piece of her atrium is left to connect
to the new heart atrium in the transplant. It is almost as if the two
hearts are holding hands (Teresa's old heart and the donors heart) .
Because Teresa's atrium
was SO tiny , it made the connection very narrow , not letting enough
blood return to the atrium causing it to fail. She thought at the time
that it would work without repair but this proved wrong when she went
into cardiac arrest.
Praying for an uneventful night.
Praying for God to guide the surgeons hands and heart and allow her to walk on water as she is guided by God to fully repair Teresa's heart.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Eyes wide open
Look who opened her eyes all the way today! I wish I could say she was happy but she was not. She does not like anything in her mouth. She becomes very scared and puckers up her little lip and cries silent tears. It breaks my heart.
The great news is she was stable today and had NO emergencies! Praying for kidney function to improve! Tomorrow she will rest and prepare for surgery on Monday to repair the left atrium.
“A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others”
― L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
“A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others”
― L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Day 4 ECMO
Little Miss T is a Princess Heart Warrior!
Her ability to fight back from what ever happens to her is amazing. She never gives up.
Last night as I was getting ready to go to my sleep closet ( actually a sleep room down the hall . Ed sleeps on a bench in Teresa's room so one of us can be with her at all times in case she awakes so we can comfort her), the ECMO cannula cracked as Teresa was being repositioned in her bed. Thanks to the very fast reaction of her wonderful nurse , a crowd of Doctors, nurses and ECMO specialist descended upon her room within seconds.
Several Doctors applied pressure to the site, ordered more blood , called surgeons and called back to the hospital an ECMO expert.
Ed and I stood by helpless watching as Teresa was hemorrhaging. Two chaplains were called in to pray with us.
The Doctors were unsure on how to repair the canula , because this had NEVER happened before. It was finally decided upon to change out the entire stop cock( the piece that had cracked). She was taken off ECMO as they repaired the broken piece and we all held our breath . Like Teresa ALWAYS does she bossed her heart and stayed strong.
I can not imagine having to go through this alone with out Ed here. Right now work, house payments and bills don't even matter. Comforting little Miss T is all that matters. Her strength and determination to live is giving us strength. She is a amazing!
The great news this morning is her creatinine levels have stopped rising ( kidney function). This is what we needed for her kidneys to start working again. Praying hard for her kidneys to heal .
The stop cock (the portion that cracked ) will be sent back to the manufacture for investigation to figure out how and why it cracked. It should not have broken just by repositioning her head. This is a photo of Teresa after she was stabilized and cleaned up a little. The white thing sticking up is the stop cock and it cracked at the base.
The Boss is resting today and doing better.
I have so missed hearing her little voice, so I have been watching her videos . I thought everyone else might enjoy them to .
The Boss has spoken!
So thankful for the wonderful Doctors and Nurses here at CHOP !
Her ability to fight back from what ever happens to her is amazing. She never gives up.
Last night as I was getting ready to go to my sleep closet ( actually a sleep room down the hall . Ed sleeps on a bench in Teresa's room so one of us can be with her at all times in case she awakes so we can comfort her), the ECMO cannula cracked as Teresa was being repositioned in her bed. Thanks to the very fast reaction of her wonderful nurse , a crowd of Doctors, nurses and ECMO specialist descended upon her room within seconds.
Several Doctors applied pressure to the site, ordered more blood , called surgeons and called back to the hospital an ECMO expert.
Ed and I stood by helpless watching as Teresa was hemorrhaging. Two chaplains were called in to pray with us.
The Doctors were unsure on how to repair the canula , because this had NEVER happened before. It was finally decided upon to change out the entire stop cock( the piece that had cracked). She was taken off ECMO as they repaired the broken piece and we all held our breath . Like Teresa ALWAYS does she bossed her heart and stayed strong.
I can not imagine having to go through this alone with out Ed here. Right now work, house payments and bills don't even matter. Comforting little Miss T is all that matters. Her strength and determination to live is giving us strength. She is a amazing!
The great news this morning is her creatinine levels have stopped rising ( kidney function). This is what we needed for her kidneys to start working again. Praying hard for her kidneys to heal .
The stop cock (the portion that cracked ) will be sent back to the manufacture for investigation to figure out how and why it cracked. It should not have broken just by repositioning her head. This is a photo of Teresa after she was stabilized and cleaned up a little. The white thing sticking up is the stop cock and it cracked at the base.
I have so missed hearing her little voice, so I have been watching her videos . I thought everyone else might enjoy them to .
The Boss has spoken!
So thankful for the wonderful Doctors and Nurses here at CHOP !
Defying the odds again
Ed an I can breath again thanks to the amazing team of doctors and nurses at CHOP .
Teresa has defied the odds again .
Tonight while Teresa was being turned the ecmo cannula cracked causing Teresa to hemerage . She is covered in blood and being given transfusions for the massive amount of blood loss.
This has NEVER happened before an there will be an investigation to see what happened with this piece that broke .
Why it happened to Teresa I am still asking god .
We are so grateful for this team of doctors at CHOP!
Thank you all for praying for her ! You all are her amazing prayer warriors !
Friday, June 21, 2013
Emergency
Please pray now the ecmo cannula cracked in her neck when she was turned she is bleeding out pray hard now !
Day 3 on ECMO
You Know that feeling when you first wake up and your mind is not fully awake. For a moment you think all is good and then you are hit with the reality. This is what has happened for Ed and I every morning. We do not wake to the sounds of the birds singing or girls laughing. The sounds here are much different. Beeps, alarms and children crying. We pass other parents in the hall. Their faces tell their childs story. No words, just a head nod is all. We all can feel each others pain.
We sleep and eat out of necessity. We want one of us by Teresa's side at all times so we can comfort her when she awakens for short periods.
This morning she is stable and resting. Her blood work and gasses look good. We are praying that her creatinine (kidney function) will plateau today and start trending down. She is very swollen , so praying that she will start eliminating more fluid. Her liver is very hard and enlarged. Praying this will reside.
We play all of Teresa's favorite Disney princess songs for her to hear. Even though she is sedated , when she awakens we know she can hear them. She signed that she wanted a drink. Poor baby is so thirsty and she hates all the tubes in her mouth.
Her nose and eyes and mouth continue to bleed a lot. ENT is coming today to have a closer look. Her nose has been packed but this just makes the blood come out other places more.
As one person so kindly wrote , we know we are praying to the same God that created Teresa with her little broken half heart. Her response to people when they ask about her arm , she always told them ,"this is how Jesus made me". And she is right , this is how Jesus made her . With half a heart and a little arm. In this little broken half a heart HE gave her more love for others, life and GOD than any other person I know. Yes, God created her this way for a reason. She has defied all medical odds, surviving birth, life in an orphanage for 3 years and no medical intervention to repair her heart. God loves Teresa far more than we ever will. This is all Gods will for Teresa. She spreads Gods love to others by the endless hugs that she gives to others. She loves to hug. She also loves to talk about heaven and all the beautiful flowers you can pick there. She loves rainbows and the beautiful colors. God gave her incredible strength and a magical personality. Through her life HE has touched thousands of lives around the world. She has inspired others to adopt, become organ donors and love God. Hearing her story has given others strength to face struggles in their own lives.
Gods plan for Teresa's life has been incredible. She has touched so many lives in 6 short years.
Father Whatley reminded us that yes Teresa will have her miracle. Every part of Tersa's life has been a miracle. Her last miracle will be for God to heal her heart here on earth or HE will heal her heart in heaven .
When we adopted Teresa we wanted her to know the love of having her own family. How long God would share her with us was unknown. She wanted a family more than any other child. At three years old when we adopted her she knew she did not have a family and this was all she wanted . She was so happy to have 8 sisters and brothers.
We are praying that God will share Teresa with us for a very long time.
Please also pray for all of the children here in the CICU and Teresa's heart HERO.
We sleep and eat out of necessity. We want one of us by Teresa's side at all times so we can comfort her when she awakens for short periods.
This morning she is stable and resting. Her blood work and gasses look good. We are praying that her creatinine (kidney function) will plateau today and start trending down. She is very swollen , so praying that she will start eliminating more fluid. Her liver is very hard and enlarged. Praying this will reside.
We play all of Teresa's favorite Disney princess songs for her to hear. Even though she is sedated , when she awakens we know she can hear them. She signed that she wanted a drink. Poor baby is so thirsty and she hates all the tubes in her mouth.
Her nose and eyes and mouth continue to bleed a lot. ENT is coming today to have a closer look. Her nose has been packed but this just makes the blood come out other places more.
As one person so kindly wrote , we know we are praying to the same God that created Teresa with her little broken half heart. Her response to people when they ask about her arm , she always told them ,"this is how Jesus made me". And she is right , this is how Jesus made her . With half a heart and a little arm. In this little broken half a heart HE gave her more love for others, life and GOD than any other person I know. Yes, God created her this way for a reason. She has defied all medical odds, surviving birth, life in an orphanage for 3 years and no medical intervention to repair her heart. God loves Teresa far more than we ever will. This is all Gods will for Teresa. She spreads Gods love to others by the endless hugs that she gives to others. She loves to hug. She also loves to talk about heaven and all the beautiful flowers you can pick there. She loves rainbows and the beautiful colors. God gave her incredible strength and a magical personality. Through her life HE has touched thousands of lives around the world. She has inspired others to adopt, become organ donors and love God. Hearing her story has given others strength to face struggles in their own lives.
Gods plan for Teresa's life has been incredible. She has touched so many lives in 6 short years.
Father Whatley reminded us that yes Teresa will have her miracle. Every part of Tersa's life has been a miracle. Her last miracle will be for God to heal her heart here on earth or HE will heal her heart in heaven .
When we adopted Teresa we wanted her to know the love of having her own family. How long God would share her with us was unknown. She wanted a family more than any other child. At three years old when we adopted her she knew she did not have a family and this was all she wanted . She was so happy to have 8 sisters and brothers.
We are praying that God will share Teresa with us for a very long time.
Please also pray for all of the children here in the CICU and Teresa's heart HERO.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Today Show Rescheduled
The Today Show segment featuring Teresa's story has been rescheduled for next week. We'll post an update as soon as we find out the exact day it will air.
- Laura
Baby Steps
Teresa is taking baby steps. She is still teaching me so much on this journey. Right now it is patience and giving complete trust and control to God.
Teresa is stable at the moment. We will let her heart rest a few more days and then she will have another major surgery on Monday. We are praying for no major complications while on ECMO and for her kidneys to start functioning better.
She is fighting so hard. She is now opening her eyes a little and squeezing our hand and answering questions with a squeeze. We can tell that magical princess personality is still there( this was a concern after suffering through CPR for thirty minutes).
Dr. Fuller feels confident she will be able to somehow repair the left atrium pulmonary veins. She will know more when she actually visualizes her heart.
For me I wanted the echo to show full , perfect heart function today and be taken off ECMO. This didn't happen.
Her eyes , nose and mouth are still bleeding from the blood thinners that are needed for the ECMO machine to not clot.
It is very difficult to watch Teresa cry silent tears.
We feel so helpless.
She is trying so hard to be the boss.
Today we had a wonderful visit from Casey Cares! What an unexpected bit of happiness.
Three of my best friends also
drove up to visit and brought Gemma ,Emilia and Grace for a visit.
Meredith ,the child life specialist helped to prepare the girls for all of the machines that they would see hooked up to Teresa. They all held her hand and talked to her.
We are taking everything day to day and minute to minute, one baby step at a time.
Thank you for all of the prayers and love. Please know we read and hear all of them and are so grateful!
God is in control and will need a few more days to perform Teresa's miracle.
Teresa is stable at the moment. We will let her heart rest a few more days and then she will have another major surgery on Monday. We are praying for no major complications while on ECMO and for her kidneys to start functioning better.
She is fighting so hard. She is now opening her eyes a little and squeezing our hand and answering questions with a squeeze. We can tell that magical princess personality is still there( this was a concern after suffering through CPR for thirty minutes).
Dr. Fuller feels confident she will be able to somehow repair the left atrium pulmonary veins. She will know more when she actually visualizes her heart.
For me I wanted the echo to show full , perfect heart function today and be taken off ECMO. This didn't happen.
Her eyes , nose and mouth are still bleeding from the blood thinners that are needed for the ECMO machine to not clot.
It is very difficult to watch Teresa cry silent tears.
We feel so helpless.
She is trying so hard to be the boss.
Today we had a wonderful visit from Casey Cares! What an unexpected bit of happiness.
Three of my best friends also
Meredith ,the child life specialist helped to prepare the girls for all of the machines that they would see hooked up to Teresa. They all held her hand and talked to her.
We are taking everything day to day and minute to minute, one baby step at a time.
Thank you for all of the prayers and love. Please know we read and hear all of them and are so grateful!
God is in control and will need a few more days to perform Teresa's miracle.
A long Hall
Based on the meeting with the surgeon the echo showed good results
BUT Teresa will have to have another surgery on Monday to repair her
left atrium.
She will stay on ECMO until Monday. Dr. Fuller wants Teresa's kidney function to improve first. Right now her numbers for her kidney function are very high.
She will repair the left atrium pulmonary veins. Teresa's broken heart vessels were smaller than the donors . This is what is causing the left atrium to fail. Not enough blood is flowing from the lungs to the left atrium.
Dr. Fuller thought she had a good day and she is feeling confident that once she performs this procedure on Monday Teresa's heart function will improve.
She is in for a very long road , but we know with Teresa's very strong will to live , if anyone can do it she can.
She will stay on ECMO until Monday. Dr. Fuller wants Teresa's kidney function to improve first. Right now her numbers for her kidney function are very high.
She will repair the left atrium pulmonary veins. Teresa's broken heart vessels were smaller than the donors . This is what is causing the left atrium to fail. Not enough blood is flowing from the lungs to the left atrium.
Dr. Fuller thought she had a good day and she is feeling confident that once she performs this procedure on Monday Teresa's heart function will improve.
She is in for a very long road , but we know with Teresa's very strong will to live , if anyone can do it she can.
The world
Teresa has people praying for her from almost every country! The world has surrounded her in prayer.
Surely God hears our cry.
We pray God will keep her in our arms here on earth to spread His love to many through her endless hugs that she gives so freely to everyone.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
A few links
Below you will find links to a few articles about Teresa by the local Baltimore media. Hopefully Teresa's journey will draw attention to the great need for organ donors across the country. A big THANK YOU to all of the media outlets for sharing Teresa's story.
Fox 45 Baltimore: Six-year-old Catonsville girl on life support
http://foxbaltimore.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/sixyearold-catonsville-girl-life-support-after-heart-transplant-20554.shtml#.UcJ8Odj4Ja4
CBS WJZ Baltimore: 6-Year-Old Fighting For Her Life After New Heart Stops Beating
http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/06/19/praying-for-a-miracle-6-year-olds-new-heart-stops-beating-after-second-transplant-surgery/
Baltimore Sun: Catonsville girl receives transplant, but is rejecting heart
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-co-girl-heart-transplant-20130618,0,3834175.story
-Eddy
Fox 45 Baltimore: Six-year-old Catonsville girl on life support
http://foxbaltimore.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/sixyearold-catonsville-girl-life-support-after-heart-transplant-20554.shtml#.UcJ8Odj4Ja4
CBS WJZ Baltimore: 6-Year-Old Fighting For Her Life After New Heart Stops Beating
http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/06/19/praying-for-a-miracle-6-year-olds-new-heart-stops-beating-after-second-transplant-surgery/
Baltimore Sun: Catonsville girl receives transplant, but is rejecting heart
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-co-girl-heart-transplant-20130618,0,3834175.story
-Eddy
Resting
Even through all of her suffering right now , Teresa continues to touch so many lives.
This is Teresa's angel, Dr. Fuller. She is the cardiac surgeon who gave Teresa her Hero's heart.
This blanket was signed by everyone at Teresa's prayer service last night . We covered her in prayer by so many that love her.
5 minutes
Jesus has given us hope for today ! Teresa was taken off the paralytic and morphine and woken up for 5 minutes. She squeezed my hand, wiggled her toes and tried so hard to breath and open her eyes!
This is fantastic news !
I told her she was the boss and she had to boss her heart now to beat and she squeezed my hand again .
She loves being the boss!
Tonight eddy is bringing up grace , Mary and Lucy to see her .
So grateful for something as simple as holding her hand and watching her wiggle her toes!
Tomorrow she will slowly be weaned down on ecmo and given an ultra sound to look at the function on the left and right sides of her heart ! This will be day three on ecmo , her Easter Sunday after
going through Good Friday on Monday .
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The Brave Little Soul
By: John Alessi
Not too long ago in Heaven there was a little soul who took wonder in observing the world. She especially enjoyed the love she saw there and often expressed this joy with God. One day however the little soul was sad, for on this day she saw suffering in the world. She approached God and sadly asked, "Why do bad things happen; why is there suffering in the world?"
God paused for a moment and replied, "Little soul, do not be sad, for the suffering you see, unlocks the love in people's hearts." The little soul was confused. "What do you mean," she asked. God replied, "Have you not noticed the goodness and love that is the offspring of that suffering? Look at how people come together, drop their differences and show their love and compassion for those who suffer. All their other motivations disappear and they become motivated by love alone."
The little soul began to understand and listened attentively as God continued, "The suffering soul unlocks the love in people's hearts much like the sun and the rain unlock the flower within the seed. I created everyone with endless love in their heart, but unfortunately most people keep it locked up and hardly share it with anyone. They are afraid to let their love shine freely, because they are afraid of being hurt. But a suffering soul unlocks that love. I tell you this - it is the greatest miracle of all. Many souls have bravely chosen to go into the world and suffer - to unlock this love - to create this miracle for the good of all humanity."
Just then the little soul got a wonderful idea and could hardly contain herself. With her wings fluttering, bouncing up and down, the little soul excitedly replied. "I am brave; let me go! I would like to go into the world and suffer so that I can unlock the goodness and love in people's hearts! I want to create that miracle!"
God smiled and said, "You are a brave soul I know, and thus I will grant your request. But even though you are very brave you will not be able to do this alone. I have known since the beginning of time that you would ask for this and so I have carefully selected many souls to care for you on your journey. Those souls will help you create your miracle; however they will also share in your suffering. Two of these souls are most special and will care for you, help you and suffer along with you, far beyond the others. They have already chosen a name for you". God and the brave soul shared a smile, and then embraced.
In parting, God said, "Do not forget little soul that I will be with you always. Although you have agreed to bear the pain, you will do so through my strength. And if the time should come when you feel that you have suffered enough, just say the word, think the thought, and you will be healed." Thus at that moment the brave little soul was born into the world, and through her suffering and God's strength, she unlocked the goodness and love in people's hearts. For so many people dropped their differences and came together to show their love.
Priorities became properly aligned.
People gave from their hearts.
Those that were always too busy found time.
Many began new spiritual journeys, some regained lost faith - many came back to God.
Parents hugged their children tighter.
Friends and family grew closer.
Old friends got together and new friendships were made.
Distant family reunited, and every family spent more time together.
Everyone prayed.
Peace and love reigned.
Lives changed forever.
It was good.
The world was a better place.
The miracle had happened.
God was pleased.