This miracle baby story is a tribute to my friend, Ranzie, on the birthdate of her beautiful angel daughter’s birthday today. She is a woman of faith with complete trust and faith in God.
Faith Over Fear
I met Ranzie because our sons were both due in November of 2019. We had a few common interests, so it bonded us and we were able to share our birthing experience with one another. They were wildly different and I had the opportunity to learn more about Ranzie’s story of how her son came to be.
She already had a two year old son with her husband and they had needed some medical intervention to conceive this son and it worked in the first month! They tried this medication again with their second son, but after over a half a year of trying, they decided to meet with a specialist.
They were told they had a 1% chance of conceiving again, so they chose to go through the process of IVF. Painful procedures, shots, and more occurred and she chose the motto “faith over fear” to lead her along this journey. Two low-grade embryos were found successful through this entire process- two chances for them to have another baby.
Ranzie chose to fast and pray while reading the Bible for six weeks to build a closer relationship with God while waiting for her embryos to be transferred back into her body. Her faith was strong and she put her trust in God, whom she calls “her most trusted friend” during this unknown time.
She was told her numbers weren’t moving up to where they were supposed to, and she would most likely not be carrying these babies much longer. She kept strong in her faith, and soon enough she went to an appointment where they found a baby, but no heartbeat. At her next appointment, they found a weak heartbeat and was told it probably wasn’t good news and all signs were pointing towards a miscarriage. Every odd was against this baby surviving, but this baby kept growing and growing week after week during her pregnancy. She knew that God was in control and she kept building her faith.
Her second baby boy was born at 37 weeks gestation via cesarean. He needed some NICU time with some help from oxygen and a feeding tube but busted out of there pretty quickly. He is now a thriving three year old that loves to play with his big brother.
Heart Has Room for More
In the summer of 2021, Ranzie found out she was pregnant with another miracle baby, this time without any medical intervention. Their gender reveal was the sweetest thing and she and her husband found out together before sharing with anyone else. They filmed their reaction to share with others. The excitement on their faces is so perfect, and you already could tell just how loved she was.
She had a few complications throughout the pregnancy, but nothing had interfered with their baby’s growth. When Ranzie was 20 weeks along, she went to her doctor’s appointment and found that their daughter’s heart was no longer beating. Since she was 20 weeks along, she was able to deliver her in the labor and delivery unit. After delivering her, they were able to hold their sweet daughter and spend time with the little body God had created for such a perfect being. She had a beautiful little face, already resembling her brothers.
They gave her the name Lorella and their hearts were overwhelmed with love for her. They were given time to spend with her and hold their angel daughter. Later, they were told Lorella’s life had been taken early from her due to a severe growth restriction due to a knot in the umbilical cord - something that has less than 1% chance of happening. They again had to put their complete trust and Faith in God, but this time it was to help them through their grief.
Through such an experience, many people would become bitter towards God. But not Ranzie, her love for Him grew and her relationship with Him became stronger. She chose to serve others to honor Lorella. She lives for her children every day, showing her dedication to those she loves.
Since the death of her daughter last year, Ranzie began to sew for Holy Sews, Inc, which is a non-profit that provides layettes for stillborn babies born between 16-25 weeks. Ranzie received one of these layettes to dress Lorella in and it meant the world to her. Since she lost her daughter, she has sewn over 400 layettes personally and recently started a chapter of Holy Sews in her hometown in Southern Illinois. You can find out more information at http://holysews.org or her group’s facebook page, Holy Sews-Southern Illinois Chapter.
Today, December 3, 2022 is the year mark from Lorella’s birthday. We celebrate her today, and every day and the legacy she has left behind.