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Real Miracles, Healing Stories

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Latest Healing Stories from Saint Alphonsus
The Tabitha
Schofield Story:
The Reason Why
It’s 2006, and Tabitha is ten-months-old. She sits in an alley in Port-au-Prince, Haiti with her three-year-old brother Teancum. They’re hiding from the dogs who roam the filthy streets, as their mother scrounges for food. But the lives of the two starving children are about change. Both will be blessed with a life envied by all other Haitian kids. But first, Tabitha must battle for her life and lose a great deal in the process. So why is she so happy?
READ MORE...		 Schilz Family:
My Three Sons
Kelly and John Schilz had been married for three years. At 32 and 33 years old, respectively, they felt now was the time for a baby, maybe two. When a medical condition prevented natural conception, the determined couple elected to have In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). They were aware of the IVF success rate, about 30%, so they chose to have three embryos transferred. But Kelly and John felt ready for whatever would come their way.
READ MORE...		 Tayton Richardson:
First Timers
Angela had a normal, healthy pregnancy and delivery at Mercy Medical Center, but the situation changed within minutes after Tayton’s birth. Instead of greeting the world with a characteristic cry, the newborn boy arrived with silence. While he appeared healthy at first, it quickly became apparent he was struggling to breathe.
READ MORE...
Nolene:
Miracle from
Down-Under
Nolene hadn’t seen her daughter Jane in five years. A long trip From Australia to Boise, she would make the trip alone and leave husband Bob in Australia. It was time to pack for the flight, and Nolene felt a headache come on. “It was the most dreadful headache imaginable,” Nolene remembers. It was clear that this was a serious problem.
READ MORE...		 Santiago Family:
Belief Into Action
Miriam and Don tried to have children early in their marriage, but it just never happened. Doctors attributed her difficulty in conceiving to Miriam’s diabetes and her polycystic ovarian syndrome. As the years passed, the couple made the most of the cards life had dealt them. But the cards were about to change for them.
READ MORE...		 Karen Bell:
Only a Headache
Karen stood at the bathroom sink, then turned and headed for the door. But as she turned she lost her balance and fell to the floor. The fall gave her a headache that would linger for the next two weeks. She didn’t seek medical treatment for the head pain as she didn’t believe it was serious. She couldn’t have been more wrong.
READ MORE...
Birth/Obstetrical Care Healing Stories
The Schilz Family: My Three Sons
Kelly and John Schilz had been married for three years. At 32 and 33 years old, respectively, they felt now was the time for a baby, maybe two. When a medical condition prevented natural conception, the determined couple elected to have In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). They were aware of the IVF success rate, about 30%, so they chose to have three embryos transferred. But Kelly and John felt ready for whatever would come their way. READ MORE...
The Tayton Richardson Story—First Timers
Angela had a normal, healthy, pregnancy and delivery at Mercy Medical Center, but the situation changed within minutes after Tayton’s birth. Instead of greeting the world with a characteristic cry, the newborn boy arrived with silence. While he appeared healthy at first, it quickly became apparent he was struggling to breathe. Tayton was laid on Angela’s tummy for a brief introduction, and then rushed to the nursery to receive oxygen. READ MORE...
Santiago Family—Belief Into Action
Miriam and Don tried to have children early in their marriage, but it just never happened. Doctors attributed her difficulty in conceiving to Miriam’s diabetes and her polycystic ovarian syndrome. As the years passed, so did their hopes of raising a family. The “thirty-something” couple made the most of the cards life had dealt them. But the cards were about to change for them. READ MORE...
Isolette Dwelle Vega—NICU Miracle Baby
Read a poem from her mother about Isolette and her family’s journey.
READ MORE...
Nayeli Alvarado—A Miracle of Life
For her parents, the news from the first pre-natal ultrasound and subsequent tests confirmed their worst fears: that their baby may not survive the pregnancy or the impending birth.  Doctors feared for Nayeli's survival based on the tests that noted medical problems that jeopardized her young life. READ MORE...
Emily Graff—Tiniest Baby Ever Born at Saint Alphonsus
Emily May Ruth Graff celebrated her first birthday on Dec. 31, 2005. She is a special baby for a number of reasons, one of them being that she is the tiniest baby ever born at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. READ MORE...
Kalli Hancock—Miracle Baby
The term miracle is often used loosely. But in the case of Boise infant Kalli Hancock, there's no better word to describe her life.
READ MORE...
Behavioral/Mental Health Care Healing Stories
Helen Leeper—A New Hope
Helen Leeper experienced that confusion and hopelessness as she wandered through the maze of mental health problems, throughout most of her adult life. This is Helen’s story of how and where, she found help and hope.
READ MORE...
Sherri Lake—Into the Light
Healing comes in all forms; dramatic, subtle, and in some cases sublime. The story of Sherri Lake is one such inspiring account, though it doesnít begin as an uplifting anecdote—quite the contrary. READ MORE...
Neurosciences/Stroke Care Healing Stories
Nolene—Miracle from Down-Under
Nolene hadn’t seen her daughter Jane in five years. A long trip From Australia to Boise, she would make the trip alone and leave husband Bob in Australia. It was time to pack for the flight, and Nolene felt a headache come on. “It was the most dreadful headache imaginable,” Nolene remembers. It was clear that this was a serious problem. READ MORE...
Karen Bell—Only a Headache
Karen stood at the bathroom sink, then turned and headed for the door. But as she turned she lost her balance and fell to the floor. The fall gave her a headache that would linger for the next two weeks. She didnít seek medical treatment for the head pain as she didnít believe it was serious. She couldnít have been more wrong. READ MORE...
Michelle Morris—Serendipity
Michelle is divorced and her children are grown, so friendships are particularly valuable to her. That value would be reaffirmed in the drama to unfold. Before she had a full year on the job, Michelle would become a surgery patient, and the support of her coworkers would become vital. READ MORE...
Tom Jones—Life Interrupted
in Tom Jones’ case, there were no stroke warnings and in an instant his life changed dramatically. So why does he consider himself “lucky”? READ MORE...
Sarah Hitch—Stroke Survivor
Sarah Hitch had plenty of reasons to live. The 45-year-old English teacher had just been named teacher of the year at Parma High School.
READ MORE...
Heart Care/Cardiology Care Healing Stories
Robert Loughmiller—Stealth Attack
When Bob stopped at the gym that Friday evening in September, he was determined to push himself to the next level. He hadn’t planned on pushing himself into the hereafter. Now 64, Bob was looking forward to retiring at the end of the year, and he knew physical health was the key. Bob was never really “serious about it”. READ MORE...
Richard Pew—Not the Typical Heart Attack Victim
Richard Pew did not fit the mold of the typical heart attack victim. He didn’t spend time in the gym, but his lifestyle kept him active. But on January 20, 2007 his life would change.
READ MORE...
Gary Arambarri—Getting it Right, and Fast
Surgery on the aorta, the large artery that carries blood from the heart to the core of the body, is an unusual and risky procedure.
READ MORE...
Cancer Care/Oncological Care Healing Stories
Tammy Sherner—Over the Edge
Like most women, I know the importance of breast cancer screening. For each birthday I give myself a little ìgiftî, my annual mammogram. In 2007, my ìgiftî came with a pink bow - I had breast cancer. READ MORE...
Diane Schooley-Pettis—Never Give Up
Diane Schooley-Pettis was looking forward to a basketball game in San Antonio more than five years ago. However, pain marked the beginning of a tough road ahead for Schooley-Pettis. Upon her return to Boise, the 41-year-old was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. READ MORE...
Janelle Sweaney—Looking Back, Looking Forward
You've heard them called “the good old days.” Maybe they're those idyllic, childhood moments spent playing in the afternoons. For Janelle Sweaney, the good old days weren't that long ago.
READ MORE...
Trini Parsons-Cancer Scare Strengthens Connection to God
Trini Parsons has seen her share of women with breast cancer. As an x-ray technologist at SARMC, that's hardly surprising. But in the summer of 2005, she came across a cancer patient in an unusual place—her own mirror. READ MORE...
Carl Engle—A Modern Miracle
Amazingly, two weeks after surgery for prostate cancer, Carl Engle hiked five miles in the Boise foothills. To his buddy, who also had prostate cancer surgery, and has a 4-inch scar across his belly to prove it, that was a miracle. READ MORE...
Trauma/Emergency/Life Flight Care Healing Stories
Gerardo Reyna—The Goal is Life
Teamwork is defined as a task performed by several associates, each doing a part to achieve a common goal. Nowhere is teamwork more essential than in healthcare, and no one is more grateful for the team approach than Gerardo Reyna. It saved his life.
READ MORE...
David Trumbo—An Unexpected Survivor
The phone rang at 2:00 a.m. on May 11, 2003. It seemed like a nightmare unfolding for David Trumbo’s grandparents, as they answered the chilling call and listened as a Saint Alphonsus' Emergency Department nurse explained that David was there – desperately fighting for his life. READ MORE...
Mary Lynn Matlock—Life Flight Gave Her a Second Chance
When a helicopter passes overhead most of us don’t give it much thought. But for Mary Lynn Matlock, that distinctive sound is a reminder she is living out her second chance at life. It’s been 20 years since Life Flight gave her that chance. READ MORE...
David Cole—Sixteens-Year-Olds Are Not Immortal
When you’re a sixteen-year-old boy you’re immortal. You have no fears, no boundaries and no doubts. But something almost stopped David Cole, and it came from an unlikely source. It was the bite from an unseen mosquito infected David with West Nile virus, and he nearly died. READ MORE...
Katie Juker—Trauma Healing Story
Katie Juker was a senior at Twin Falls High School and the only girl accepted into the small engines and fabrication class.
READ MORE...
Jay Reinke—Off-Road Rescue
Snow was glistening in the morning sunshine as Jay Reinke rode his snowmobile through the Magic Mountain region near Burley on March 31, 2005. READ MORE...
Family Medicine/Rehabilitation Care Healing Stories
The Reason Why—The Tabitha Schofield Story
It’s 2006, and Tabitha is ten-months-old. She sits in an alley in Port-au-Prince, Haiti with her three-year-old brother Teancum. They’re hiding from the dogs who roam the filthy streets, as their mother scrounges for food. But the lives of the two starving children are about change. Both will be blessed with a life envied by all other Haitian kids. But first, Tabitha must battle for her life and lose a great deal in the process. So why is she so happy? READ MORE...
Shawn Lloyd—Back from the Brink
Imagine being a healthy man in your 30s. Next picture over a period of six months regressing into barely walking the 12 feet to the bathroom, using a wheelchair, then only being able sit up in bed for an hour each day. READ MORE...
Back, Knees and Joint Care Healing Stories
Karine Aebi—The Never Ending Ladder—Reaching New Highs
Now in her eighth year as a firefighter, including three years with the Caldwell Fire Department, Boisean Karine Aebi was not about to let three back surgeries stand in the way of her beloved profession. READ MORE...

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