Poppy Smith was born a tiny warrior. As a preemie, she had to fight to survive right away. After overcoming so many obstacles in her first year of life, the baby girl suffered hypoxic brain damage at two. Doctors didn't think she'd survive, let alone ever walk or talk. Then everything changed when her big sister blew kisses on her belly!
"They said that she might not walk or talk, but she started walking at 15 months, which is quite average for a premature baby," her dad said. "It was amazing to see her doing all those things."By Poppy's first birthday, they were able to remove her feeding tube. Each day she grew stronger, and her progress amazed her doctors. But her battle wasn't done yet.
"We could feel her heartbeat, but she was unresponsive," Stephen recalled. "We knew there was something seriously wrong. She was breathing but she was sort of gasping for air."RELATED: Their baby girl was supposed to die, but the family prayed for a miracle They rushed Poppy to the hospital, and by the next day she was doing much better. But two days later, on her second birthday in December, things again took a nasty turn.
Doctors ran tests, and a few days later they had bad news. An MRI scan showed Poppy had severe hypoxic brain damage."Her eyes were starting to roll to the back of her head," said Stephen. "A chest x-ray showed that her lungs were full of fluid and she had another respiratory arrest. That night she started to develop twitches and seizures. She was deteriorating fast."
"I asked if she was going to walk or talk again, but they said they didn't even know if she was going to survive. When it started to sink it, it was heartbreaking," Stephen explained. "They told us we had to wait and see, but it wasn't looking good. I just wanted them to tell me that she was going to be ok."
"We held her, but she was just staring right through us," Stephen recalled. "I've never felt pain like that in my life. The heartache was unreal."By now, it was Christmas. The family attended Christmas services, praying for a miracle. Amy, Stephen and Poppy's siblings -- sisters Elisha and Macey, and brother Alfie -- returned to the hospital to spend the holiday with their little girl. And that's when their prayers were answered! [rsnippet id="2"]
"It was astonishing," Stephen said. "Then there were little twitches on her arms and legs. Doctors said it could be spinal reflexes, but I felt like it was so much more."
It certainly was much more. It was a miracle!
And Poppy proved it by continuing to get better each and every day.
She just kept improving, learning to speak and crawl all over again.
This little fighter has proven yet again she won't let anything keep her down. And how sweet that after her big sister blew kisses, God would use that loving moment to send a miracle! Friends, family and strangers have been raising money for Poppy so that her parents can move her to a rehabilitation facility. There, she will get intense physical therapy to help her regain more and more mobility. We'll continue to be praying for little Poppy and her progress. God's clearly given this precious child a special purpose! h/t: AWM YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Baby Born With No Heartbeat Gets A Miracle When His Mom Nurses Him"We couldn't believe it. It's been just eight weeks. It's incredible. She's progressed so much," her dad explained. "The doctors are baffled. They say that she shouldn't be doing what she is doing. They are so glad she is, but they didn't think she would. She's proving them all wrong."