A moment of quiet prayer inside a Rhode Island hospital is now being recognized by the Vatican as the first confirmed miracle under Pope Leo XIV.
In 2007, a newborn named Tyquan Hall was delivered by emergency C-section at Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Facing severe complications, the infant’s condition was critical, and despite extensive efforts by the medical team, doctors were preparing to inform the family that the child had not survived.
That’s when Dr. Juan Sánchez-Esteban, a neonatologist originally from Almería, Spain, paused for a final moment of reflection. Drawing from his faith, he whispered a prayer he learned in childhood, asking for the intercession of a 19th-century Spanish priest: Venerable Father Salvador Valera Parra.
Father Valera Parra, who lived from 1816 to 1889, was known in his region of Spain for his compassion and service during a cholera epidemic. Though widely admired, no miracles had been officially attributed to him—until now.
According to the Diocese of Almería, shortly after the doctor’s silent prayer, the unexpected happened. As staff prepared to notify the family, a nurse reported that the baby’s vital signs had returned. Against all expectations, Tyquan began breathing again.
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