Report: Missouri Mother Prays, Teenage Son Comes Back To Life

A teenage boy in Missouri was dead for 45 minutes before his mother walked into the room, started praying loudly and then his heart started beating again.

Dr. Kent Sutterer, the doctor who treated 14-year-old John Smith, was quoted by USA Today having said that the boy was “dead for 45 minutes.”

“He was dead for 45 minutes. […] She started praying loudly […] Within a matter of a minute or two, his heart started again […] His heart was jump started by the Holy Spirit listening to the request of his praying mother.”

The report indicates that the boy’s mother, Joyce Smith, came into the room after Dr. Sutterer and his team had been performing CPR for 27 minutes to no avail. Those attempting to resuscitate the dead teen raised the question of how long they should continue after nearly half an hour with no success. Then his mother started praying loudly; she recalled asking God to “please save” her son.

“I don’t remember what all I said […] But I remember, ‘Holy God, please send your Holy Spirit to save my son. I want my son, please him’ […] They hadn’t been getting a pulse at that time, so all of a sudden I heard them saying, ‘We got a pulse, we got a pulse.’ “

John, the boy who died and came back to life, fell through the ice on Lake Sainte Louise on January 19, 2015, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The St. Louis Fire Chief, Chris Fay, said that three boys fell through the ice and when firefighters arrived, one of the boys was near the shore, another holding onto the ice, and the third, John, was underwater, KDSK reported.

The eighth grader was quoted by KDSK as having said that he doesn’t “remember much about it” but he does remember the tubes. His pastor says he’s walking, talking, and trying to make sense of the fact that he’s not just alive, but thriving after having been submerged under the icy waters for 15 minutes. John was quoted in the report as having said that he was “pretty surprised” by the outcome.

“After listening to what the paramedics and doctors said I’m pretty surprised at the outcome.”

Dr. Jeremy Garrett oversaw the boy’s recovery and went as far as to say that it was “a bonafide miracle.” Garrett watched his body’s reaction to being submerged in the icy waters for so long, his circulatory system had gone into shock and acid had built up in his bloodstream.

Within 48 hours, members of the boy’s family reported seeing him unexpectedly open his eyes.

The boy’s mother, Joyce, said that the neurologist came in and one point and said that they “don’t know what to do next” because they’d “never seen this before.”

Brian Smith, John’s father, said “you can’t refute the clinical evidence,” in regards to what Dr. Garrett referred to as a “miracle.”

While John still has a cough and is going through physical therapy to regain some of the movement in his hands, he could be home by the end of the week. He was “surprised” and thankful to be alive.

“I’m surprised I’m alive but it’s a real miracle that I’m alive, and I thank God I’m alive, and there’s a reason I’m alive, so I’m just going to kind of follow what God has in store for me throughout my life.”

What do you think, was John Smith’s resurrection a miracle?

[Image via STL Today]