
Miracle in my Living Room
The Story of a Little Mann
In 2005, our son was given a “not compatible with life” dwarfism diagnosis in my twentieth week of pregnancy in Tampa, Florida. My husband and I chose to not terminate our bundle of joy and Samuel was born via c-section on August 2nd. Relying on our faith, we faced many tenuous weeks in the hospital which turned into months in a struggle for our son to survive Thanatophoric Dwarfism and wean off the hospital ventilator. Though our son’s dwarfism diagnosis means “death bringing” in Greek, God had other plans and our son came home at six months old.
One Child, One Life, One Miracle
Our house turned into a makeshift hospital room with nurses filling our days with 24-hour care. At age three, Samuel received a dream vacation from the Make-A-Wish foundation which exposed him to a world outside of home and doctor’s visits. Then, another miracle, Samuel sheds his ventilator opening new doors to travel culminating in whirlwind trip to Niagara Falls. Our now 11-year-old boy continues to be a Miracle In My Living Room.
In sharing our decade long journey, we hope to encourage other families with similar circumstances to face trials with faith and to believe miracles still happen.


Overview
When I was pregnant with Samuel and after his birth, I had no examples of hope. We were told of two survivors with Thanatophoric Dwarfism who lived in Japan. One passed at 3-years-old and another at 7-years-old. That is all the information we had to go on. No parents to call, no hope from the doctors, and no smiling children to point to. Little did I know then, my son would become a beacon of hope for future families.
In my memoir, Miracle In My Living Room, I share the impact my little man has had on these special families. Having no knowledge of survivors, many parents are devastated by this “not compatible with life" diagnosis. My desire in writing this book is to pass on hope where often none is found.
If you know someone facing an unthinkable circumstance who needs an example of hope and miracles in this midst of the storm, share Miracle In My Living Room.

A Mom, A Miracle, and Rose-Colored Glasses
[caption id="attachment_5425" align="alignright" width="300"] A Teenage Miracle[/caption] (Samuel has a rare form of dwarfism called Thanatophoric Dysplasia, TD, a rare…

4 Ways To Battle Worry
We are living during an unusual and unprecedented time. Terms like flatten the curve and social distancing are now a…

4 Verses To Overcome Coronavirus Fears
Our little family has recently recovered from a cold. Everyone can get a cold, but for our little guy, it…

National Dwarfism Awareness Month
National Dwarfism Awareness Month Samuel Mann has Thanatophoric Dwarfism which is one of 200 forms of dwarfism. His diagnosis is…

A Miracle Turns 14-Years-Old
[caption id="attachment_5340" align="aligncenter" width="300"] 14-year-old Birthday Laugh[/caption] Three Types of Dwarfism Have you ever heard of Thanatophoric Dysplasia Dwarfism? Of…

3 Reasons Why A Babysitter Can’t Watch My Son
Who do you call when you need a babysitter? Perhaps you know a trusted teenager who can stay with your…

Singer Inspires The World: Special Needs Awareness
I watched America’s Got Talent and saw Kodi Lee, the blind and autistic young man sing Donny Hathaway’s song, “A…

Showering Prayer: A Place To Pray
Have you ever had moments when you wanted the world to stop for just a moment? You want to put…

9 Christmas Gifts For A Special Needs Child
Are you finding it hard to come up with Christmas gift ideas for a special needs family member or friend?…