A Texas mother lost all memory of giving birth to her triplets after she was declared clinically dead for 45 minutes during their delivery.
When it seems there is no hope, we can see God working through unexpected ways to show us His unwavering love and protection. In moments of medical crisis, He reveals His presence through the skilled hands of doctors and nurses, reminding us that miracles still happen today.
This story of a mother’s journey from the edge of death to a joyful reunion with her babies shows us how God can turn our darkest moments into testimonies of His faithfulness and grace.
In late August 2023, Marisa Christie went to Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center North in Houston for what should have been a regular cesarean delivery of her triplets.
As the doctors placed her newborn babies on her stomach for delayed cord clamping, Christie suddenly raised her arms, and her heart stopped beating.
Dr. Ricardo Mora, her anesthesiologist, quickly spotted signs of a rare condition called amniotic fluid embolism (AFE), where amniotic fluid enters the mother’s bloodstream during delivery.
The situation turned grave when Christie lost her entire blood volume. Her medical team started CPR right away as she had no pulse and wasn’t breathing.
Dr. Mora knew the severity of AFE well, having seen it only once before in his 15-year career. “It’s pretty catastrophic. When it occurs, it’s about 80%, 85% fatal,” he explained.
A team of doctors worked together to save Christie’s life. Dr. Amber Samuel, her maternal-fetal medicine physician, along with Dr. Stephen Maniscalco, a cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon, put her on an ECMO machine to help her heart and lungs work. They also had to perform an emergency hysterectomy when she started bleeding heavily.
Christie woke up a week later with no memory of giving birth to her daughters – Charlotte, Kendall, and Collins. Her husband had to tell her about their babies: “Hey, so we had the babies. They’re healthy and great.” Christie felt terrified, wondering how she could have no memory of such an important moment.
Meeting her week-old babies felt strange to Christie. “I don’t know these babies. This is very strange. They feel like they’re not real,” she remembered thinking.
The doctors had kept the babies near her even while she was unconscious, which helped form a natural bond. Soon, she noticed that her babies responded to her voice differently than to others.
Now at home with her three daughters and 4-year-old son, Christie sees life differently. The experience changed her completely. “I try to remind myself in those hard moments, I’m like, ‘I almost missed all of it,’ so it kind of puts it in perspective,” she shared.
When we look back at our lives, many of us can recall moments when we stood at death’s door or faced situations that could have ended differently. Through it all, our loving God gave us second chances – opportunities to learn from our mistakes and grow closer to Him.
Marisa Christie’s story reminds us that even when human wisdom says “it’s over,” God can step in and change everything. What could have been a tragic story became a testimony of God’s power and grace. While medical science gave her a mere 15-20% chance of survival, God had different plans for this mother of four.
As we praise God for this miracle, let’s keep praying for the Christie family’s continued healing and growth. Let’s also remember in our prayers all mothers who face life-threatening complications during childbirth, asking God to protect them and their babies during these vulnerable moments.
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