Mandy’s Story: Peaceful Miracle
June 12, 2025
Today’s Mama Bear story involves a precious baby girl who supposedly was “incompatible with life” but proved to be a miracle in the making. Moms who receive a devastating prenatal diagnosis wonder if their babies will overcome odds. Many hear from friends and family that they are “praying for a miracle.”
What does a miracle look like? Perhaps it’s different for all of us. We hope you will agree after reading Mandy’s story that Serenity Hope’s life does indeed show testimony of a peaceful miracle.
Mandy and Serenity’s Story: A Peaceful Miracle
Our daughter, Serenity Hope, was diagnosed with trisomy 13 at 16 weeks pregnant, and we were strongly encouraged to terminate because her diagnosis was “incompatible with life.” I couldn’t take her life. We had many MFM ultrasounds, met with genetics (awful), got second opinions from cardiologists, as well as an MRI and weekly non stress tests. We fought to give her every chance possible after birth as any other baby, as long as she was still fighting.
Our little miracle; her name meant peaceful miracle. Serenity was born alive and perfect. Her cry was the best sound ever. She had a single cleft lip and palate, large VSD and her brain, eyes and ears were affected by the extra chromosome. She bravely fought the hardest battle of anyone I have ever known and smiled through the pain. She made it through open heart surgery and seizures, pneumonia, multiple intubations, severe medication withdrawal, a mysterious and painful rash…more than anyone should ever have to go through in a lifetime. Our strong little heart warrior was pure joy.
Serenity Hope came home from the NICU the day before Thanksgiving. It’s the first time our little kids were able to hold her and the only time our whole family will ever be together. Three days later she went into cardiac arrest and entered heaven, healed from all her scars and pain free, deeply missed and forever loved. We loved her with everything we had in us during the 4 months we were blessed with.
Serenity changed our lives and touched the lives of so many nurses and doctors who cared for her as well as friends and family who prayed. I’ll never understand why we were given her just to lose her or why she had to deal with so much. She opened my eyes a lot to the little things, loving and living and taking each moment for the gift it is. Our children loved her deeply despite never really getting the chance to know her and were completely accepting of who she was and all her challenges. We all miss her so much.
Our daughter was worth it. Every tear and heartache and prayer, even just to know her for a moment, I would do it all again to get the chance to love her. We had hoped to have her for a lifetime, prepared to care for her for years to come and that was cut short but we will see her again in Heaven and we have sweet memories, pictures and videos to hold onto until then, to make sure she isn’t forgotten.
Serenity had the sweetest soul and beautiful smile, strawberry blonde hair. She loved sticking out her tongue and having her head massaged, the sun on her face, and her pacifier. She loved to be held and sung to and I know without a doubt that she knew I was her mama. She was loved, wanted, treasured. Her life had purpose. I hope that Serenity’s story might help even one family choose life for their baby and give them a chance to live the life God has for them.
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