As we wait with joyful anticipation for Fulton Sheen to be delcared a ‘Blessed,’ the mother of the son who received the miracle pens her own recollection of that fateful day.
Sixteen years after a home birth turned into a nightmare in the heart of Illinois, Bonnie Engstrom is opening up about the harrowing moments surrounding the birth of her son James Fulton — and the astounding miracle through soon-to-be-Blessed Fulton J. Sheen that restored his life.
What began as a quiet labor at home quickly descended into tragedy when an undetected knot in the umbilical cord tightened during delivery, cutting off the baby’s oxygen supply.
“When the midwife caught him and placed him in my arms, he was stillborn,” Engstrom recalled in a commentary published at Fox News.
“For the brief moments I held him, he didn’t cry. He didn’t breathe. He had no pulse.”
As her husband performed an emergency baptism and medical personnel began CPR on the floor, Engstrom felt as if she was “falling out of control.”
In her desperation, her heart turned immediately to Venerable Fulton Sheen, whose name they had already chosen for their child.
“In my head, I repeated the name of my baby’s namesake, the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen,” she wrote.
“In my moment of desperation, my heart and voice continuously called on Sheen to pray for me. I had no idea how profoundly this prayer would change my life — and the lives of millions of Catholics across America, if not the world.”
The ordeal stretched across an agonizing hour. First responders spent 20 minutes performing resuscitation efforts before transferring the infant to the hospital, where doctors spent another 20 minutes trying every available method to restart his heart. Through it all, his body remained cold, blue and without a pulse.
Finally, after 61 minutes without a heartbeat, medical staff prepared to declare the baby deceased.
“At that moment, when all attempts had ended, James’ heart started to beat,” Engstrom shared.
Even after his heart restarted, medical experts warned the family to prepare for severe organ damage, severe neurological impairment, and a lifetime of profound hardships. Once again, the family turned to the heavenly intercession of Archbishop Sheen, asking him to “pray without ceasing” for baby James.
The divine intervention to those prayers surpassed all human expectation. An MRI conducted at three months revealed zero brain damage. As the years passed, James hit every developmental milestone with ease. Independent medical professionals later confirmed there was no scientific or medical explanation for his complete survival without complications.
“It took years for the extent of James’ miracle to reveal itself,” Engstrom noted. “As he hit milestone after milestone, it was clear that God had truly restored our son.”
Following extensive scientific and theological investigations by the Vatican, the extraordinary 61-minute recovery was officially recognized by the Catholic Church as the verified miracle required for Archbishop Sheen’s beatification.
Looking back on the night that changed her family forever, Engstrom remains filled with awe at how a mother’s desperate prayer became a milestone for the universal Church.
“I knew in that moment that Sheen had interceded for me and my baby boy,” Engstrom said. “I had no idea then, however, that our little miracle could help Sheen too.”
FURTHER READING
61 Minutes to a Miracle by Bonnie Engstrom is available at EWTNRC.com.