Mom Begs God to Save Her Daughter as Doctors Take Child off Life Support, Hears Her Baby Cry

Sarah and Joel Rodriguez’s journey to parenthood was lined with multiple challenges and roadblocks, but they stayed strong in the face of adversity. After struggling to conceive for as many as four years, they decided to turn to IVF to realize their dream of starting a beautiful family.

Little did they know what fate had in store for them and how drastically everything would change in the coming future. The couple was on the verge of beginning the fertility treatment when a piece of heart-wrenching news turned everything topsy-turvy.

The Heartbreaking News

Sarah’s husband, Joel, who was only 32 then and seemed active and healthy, was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Although the news was unexpected and shocking, the couple didn’t let the dire prognosis dampen their spirits.

He couldn’t help his tears from falling as he read her story and felt an instant need to contact her.

Their Happiest Moment Became the Saddest

Joel bravely underwent surgery and chemotherapy and went into remission in 2010. He and his wife celebrated the moment by resuming their IVF treatment and were delighted when everything worked out in their favor. Soon afterward, they had their first child, a son named Milo.

But only a few days after welcoming Milo, they received an unexpected phone call—Joel’s cancer was back, and he had to start chemo as soon as possible. While he fought courageously, it didn’t take long for the duo to accept the inevitable—Joel didn’t have much time left and was fading away.

Recalling a Conversation with Her Late Husband

On July 23, 2013, Joel, 35, passed away, leaving his wife alone in what was meant to be the happiest period of their lives. A heartbroken Sarah was left crippled by the loss of her husband, faced with the reality of raising her child as a single parent.

She had never imagined life without Joel, and every day reminded her of his loving presence and companionship. One day, she sat down, remembering her conversation with him shortly before his death. Sarah recounted:

“[Joel] said, ‘I need to tell you something. You and I are going to have another child and it’s going to be a girl.'”

A Sweet but Far-Fetched Dream

At the time, Sarah had looked at Joel in utter disbelief, unable to comprehend how it would happen. Unbeknownst to her, the universe was working on rearranging things in her world. Besides that, she also had a dream years before losing her husband, where she was cradling a little girl.

After waking up from her beautiful dream, Sarah told Joel the baby girl’s name was Ellis. Together, they agreed to save the name if they ever became parents to a daughter. But with Joel gone, how could she fulfill those dreams and experience parental bliss again?

Welcoming a Little Princess

As she battled indescribable emotions, Sarah had a moment of realization. Having conceived her firstborn via IVF, she remembered that two more embryos were lying at the fertility clinic. For some time, she struggled to make up her mind; however, Sarah eventually decided to implant the remaining embryos.

Sarah was on cloud nine when she learned she was expecting another child—a daughter—and she already knew what she would name her. On November 6, 2014, Sarah became a mother again to baby Ellis, and Milo was promoted to the position of a doting big brother.

Falling Sick

Sarah was delighted to welcome motherhood, and she couldn’t help but think Ellis’ birth was a miracle. But even she couldn’t have expected what came next—Ellis was only two weeks old when she contracted sepsis and bacterial meningitis.

Within a few days, the infant girl fell so unwell that she was placed on life support, and every new day brought more gut-wrenching news. Eventually, the little one’s condition deteriorated to the point that the doctors suggested taking her off the life support machine.

Preparing to Say Goodbye

In other words, Sarah was told to prepare to bid farewell to her little princess. None of it made sense to the distraught mother—she failed to gauge how everything that had led to Ellis’ miracle birth could end in mere seconds.

Regardless, she held onto her faith, trusting God to heal her girl as she called upon him in agony. Holding her hands in prayer, she begged the Lord for her daughter’s life, knowing nothing was impossible for Him. Minutes later, baby Ellis was placed on Sarah’s chest so she could hold her close one last time.

Expecting the Unexpected

With music playing in the background, Sarah sang to her baby girl and noticed something unusual. “She let out a cry, and she was moving and wiggling around, and she wasn’t seizing,” recollected Sarah. While the doctors had explicitly told her the baby wouldn’t make it without the equipment for too long, the opposite happened.

Sarah and her loved ones stared in shock as little Ellis persevered and began breathing unaided. The flabbergasted mother couldn’t help but wonder if she was experiencing a miracle unfold before her eyes.

A Living Miracle

Initially, the doctors ruled out other possibilities, calling Ellis a “fighter” but saying she would not make it for too long. However, as the hours passed, the infant beat all odds and amazed everyone as she transitioned from breathing on a machine to doing so on her own.

After a tough three weeks in the hospital, Ellis pulled through, much to the surprise of the doctors and nurses. Sarah said everyone wanted to look at her daughter because they saw her as a living miracle. In the coming days, Ellis received the green signal to return home. In an Instagram post, Sarah expressed:

“Was reminded by a doctor today that her scans are ‘incompatible with life.’ But live she does. She’s a miracle of miracles (sic).”

Defying the Odds

Little by little, Ellis continued to thrive and meet all her milestones and even said “Mama” when she was only five months old. Sarah was overcome with emotions because the doctors had once told her Ellis would never talk. The proud mother added:

“I was told that she’d never be able to give love or receive it. But I’m receiving that love now, every day. I wake up every morning, grateful to see life for the gift that it is.”

Ellis turned eight on November 6, 2022, and her mother rang in the special occasion with an emotional Facebook post. “You’ve taught me more about gentleness, grace, overcoming, but also about being a force in this world…..because that’s exactly what you are,” wrote Sarah.

When Things Took a Pleasant Turn

With her baby girl inspiring her daily, Sarah was hopeful for a better and brighter future. Meanwhile, Ellis’ miracle recovery story gained traction, and many media outlets featured it.

One day, Sarah’s high school sweetheart, DeAngelo Rhodes, was at a gas station when he saw her on the front page of a newspaper. He couldn’t help his tears from falling as he read her story and felt an instant need to contact her.

Since the two had been out of touch for years and he was a divorced father of three, DeAngelo decided to wait for 1.5 years before changing his mind.

A Lovely Family of Eight

Finally, the duo reconnected after so many years and tied the knot in 2017. Sarah, who had thought her family of three was complete, wholeheartedly welcomed her new blended family of seven. In 2020, the couple welcomed a baby boy, Porter, and became a lovely family of eight.

Sarah’s story began with immense trauma, heartbreak, and loss, but with time, she was blessed in ways she had never thought possible. Today, she’s a loving wife, an affectionate mom, an author, and a speaker who inspires others through her journey of hope and perseverance.