AN INFANT DEFIES DEATH AND REBOUNDS FROM LEUKEMIA

Miracles have always been at the heart of the Bible from literally Day One (of seven). God created the heavens and the earth. God appeared to Adam and Eve. Those were miracles. The burning bush, the water that became wine and the loaves that fed multitudes were also miracles. The healing of the sick was one of Jesus's famous miracles and this act has also been credited to other miracle workers throughout the centuries. Miracles are an enduring source of inspiration - they are evidence of the power of God, something so powerful that science cannot explain.

Do you believe in miracles? Well, I do because I have personally experienced God's miracles in my life. When I was nine years old, I wanted to get a prize on sports day and prayed so hard for it. I said to God that I wanted to win the third prize in the race and my prayers were answered. When I was eleven, I dashed across the road without looking left or right after my mom scolded me and was almost hit by a van which stopped right in front of me. Was that a miracle or merely a coincidence? If I had died that day, then I would not be writing this article now. When I was sixteen, I accidentally touched the Bunsen burner flames during my chemistry practical exam but escaped unhurt. At that moment, I was very disappointed because I knew that I didn't do well in my practical paper. I only realized what happened after I left the chemistry lab. Another miracle or coincidence?

In actual fact, miracles do happen in our lives. Please click here to read the Miracles of Medjugorje or here to read about the Miracles of Lourdes. What do these miracles tell you? If you seek the presence of God and request Him to intervene in your situation, you will see miracles happening in your life. All you need to do is to have faith in Him. As what Jesus said, "I assure you, if you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you would be able to say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20). To those with terminal illnesses, do not despair - a miraculous healing can happen any time.  In this article, I would like to share with you the real life story of an infant who defies death and rebounds from leukemia.

Photo: Ethan Stacy with his parents on The 700 Club television program in June 2011

In the year 2003, Ethan Jacob Stacy's parents were devastated when they received bad news that their two-day-old son had acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a virulent blood cancer that is rarely found in newborn babies. According to one of Ethan's physicians at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, oncologist Melissa Rhodes, babies born with leukemia seldom survive. The best she could do was to put Ethan through rounds of chemotherapy which could be lethal for a newborn baby.

Chad and Many Stacy had a difficult decision to make as they were not sure whether they should subject their newborn baby to myriads of risks. "We came home, and I remember lying in bed and praying... God, give us an answer, " Mandy recounted on the Television Show The 700 Club. "And we both woke up the next morning, and we said, "We're not going to put him through it."

After two weeks, Ethan's parents brought him home to die. After a few days, there were tumors all over his body, including his calf, feet, and forearms. According to Dr. Rhodes, "He actually had leukemia in  his skin, in his hands, his feet, and his legs, as well as in his liver and spleen. "He was showing that he had a very advanced disease at that point." When he was three weeks old, Ethan stopped eating and showed signs that his life was coming to an end.

Even during the darkest moments of their lives, the Stacy's faith remained strong and they continued to pray. "I remember rocking him hard and singing, 'Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, I want to see you," said Mandy. "I knew that if I just focused my mind on Christ, that's the only way that I could make it through." All of a sudden, Ethan started feeding again and over the next few days, he gradually started to get better. As she sat at the kitchen table, Mandy said, "I can see God working."

As the weeks passed, Ethan's tumors disappeared and when his parents took him to Vanderbilt, his platelet count had rebounded from a low of 39,000 to 415,000. There was no medical explanation to account for his situation. "Ethan had gotten about as sick as a baby could possibly get, and then spontaneously got better," marveled Dr. Rhodes. "We did the bone marrow test, which showed no evidence of leukemia. For him to have gotten as absolutely sick as he did, and then just turn around spontaneously overnight, that's a miracle."

In June 2011, Ethan and his parents, Mandy and Chad, appeared on television and there were smiles on their face. Ethan, was by then a healthy and happy eight-year-old boy, as you can see in the photo above.


References:
1.  The Mysteries of Miracles. Time Life Books.
2.  Miracles: The Presence of God in Our Lives. Life Books.
3.  The New American Bible. New York: Thomas Nelson Publishers.