Tammie, RN writes:

Picture a cold, dank, blustery early April day in 2002, Ohio. Ominous black clouds are rolling through, pushed along by a frigid breeze off Lake Erie. One thing exceeds the desolation outside and that is the scene in my daughter’s room in ICU.

L is beginning her third day on a respirator; she is all wires and tubes and we are crushed. The head of ICU has just told us that the composite effect of her stem cell transplant and the pneumonia, which followed, may be too much for her weakened immune system. She must rally in the next twenty-four hours, or you will probably leave her here, he said. Those devastating words had us all near the breaking point.

I was overwhelmed with grief but suddenly composure flowed over me. I may never understand from where, or how or why. I left her bedside and headed purposefully to the nurses station. There I obtained a poster-sized sheet of paper and a magic marker. In bold letters I wrote, Quiet Please, Miracle in Progress! I returned to L’s room and hung it on the window, hoping somehow that those words would comfort us all. The day wore on without any sign of improvement, but in the afternoon the shift changed and a beautiful young nurse who we had not seen before came in.

She had a soft smile and a caring manner. I’ll be helping L tonight, she announced, and I felt less ominous. Speaking words of reassurance to our comatose daughter she checked the values on all the gauges and rearranged the tubes leading from the life giving medications on the pole to L. She patted L’s head and gently cleaned her face. Her manner exuded caring, competence, compassion and composure. After a few minutes of tending to L, she turned to leave but stopped abruptly when she noticed our sign. She read it out loud, her face broke out in a radiant smile, she gave a little flip of her head and announced, You know . . . that’s my name . . . Miracle . . . Tammy Miracle.

An involuntary shiver passed through my body. What were the chances of a nurse named Tammy Miracle being assigned to L on a day when we had put up a sign asking for a miracle. It was as though heaviness had been lifted from our shoulders and we couldn’t help but wonder if an answer to our prayers was on the way.

The next morning we hurried over to ICU hoping that the news would be better. As were heading in, L’s oncologist was coming out with joy in her eyes. She’s better! with that she gave us thumbs up and added, She’s going to make it, I just know it.

I think back often to that day and was further astounded to learn that Tammy Miracle was not on the hospital’s permanent staff but had been called in from a temp agency due to a shortage of ICU nurses.

God surely does work in mysterious ways. We will always remember and be grateful that Tammy Miracle was sent to us. So if you despair, try to believe that an angel may be looking out for you too.

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it. – Hebrews 13:2

My name is Tammie Mericle and I am the nurse in this story. I was overwhelmed with joy as this story came to me at a time in my life when I was not sure if I wanted to continue my career in nursing.