When Brooklyn was pregnant with her third child, the doctor confronted her with a fact: the baby would be born sick. When the doctors performed a caesarean section and saw the baby, they couldn’t believe their own eyes! The rare and extraordinary circumstances surrounding this birth left everyone in awe.
We all have to make difficult choices sometimes. But the decision that spouses Nick and Brooklyn Schnarr had to make is the worst thing expectant parents can experience.
When Brooklyn was pregnant with her third child, the doctor confronted her with a fact: the baby would be born sick.
Despite this, the couple decided not to terminate the pregnancy and vowed that they would love their son, no matter what he was. They did not yet know what an incredible surprise awaited them at the end.
When it was all over, Nick decided to tell the world their son’s story to show other parents that miracles happen even when you least expect them.
“For ten months my wife Brooklyn carried a very sick child under her heart. The doctors told us that he has hydrocephalus. This disease is also called dropsy of the brain. Those. Our baby’s head must be simply huge, as a result he will never have a “normal” life. All sorts of things popped into our heads, but we were confident that we would do everything to ensure that the baby suffered as little as possible in this life. We turned to different doctors, to the best specialists we could find, and they unanimously declared that our child’s condition was very serious.
At some point we were told that everything was so bad, that there was simply no point in monitoring the level of fluid in the child’s brain – it would not get better. We almost cried looking at the tomography results. At some point, doctors said that with a 90 percent probability our boy would die immediately after birth, and if he survived, it was scary to even imagine what kind of life awaited him. We met with specialists who explained to us how we would need to support the life of our child. We endured the nightmare lecture that at some point we might have to stop providing this support and let our son “rest in peace.”
Brooklyn moved to Cincinnati, where the hospital was located, and lived in a hotel nearby in case of an unexpected birth. I was constantly rushing between cities, trying to both work and take care of our older daughters. On July 8th I received a message: Brooklyn is in the maternity ward. I rushed to the hospital. Literally 15 minutes before the doctors started the C-section, we were given another lecture about how the baby wouldn’t be able to breathe on his own and we might have to let the doctors “let him go to heaven.” Brooklyn was taken away. Several terrible minutes passed and I heard it! My boy was screaming! He breathed on his own, he cried – in my entire life I have never heard a more beautiful sound!
And here he is, Charlie Edward Schnarr.
He is healthy. He looks like a completely normal, beautiful baby and is living his first days as babies should. Doctors had to briefly apply artificial ventilation, but he held on well.
How is this possible, after all the horror we have experienced? To quote the doctor: “From a medical point of view, we cannot find an explanation for what happened.” Somehow the brain was able to “break through the blockade” and equalize the fluid balance. During the time my wife and I spent in the hospital, I heard the words “divine intervention” and “miracle” more times than I could count. The most experienced nurses and world-famous doctors could hardly believe their eyes and rejoiced with us.
I know that all our family, friends, and colleagues prayed for us and asked others to support us in their prayers. I think there was a domino effect and thousands of people asked God to help our family. Thank you! Thank you all! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for all the prayers, words of encouragement, cards, messages, emails. I believe that prayers can help! God still works miracles.”
It’s hard to even imagine how happy little Charlie’s parents are now. It’s as if higher powers decided to reward them for their perseverance and willingness to love their son, no matter what he was.