Pope Leo XIV has announced the first recognized miracle of his papacy – an unexplained revival of a newborn in Rhode Island, whose tiny heart had stopped beating.
Now, the doctor – who once declared the infant dead and later witnessed his stunning return – is breaking his silence on how he begged for divine intervention from a 19th-century priest, who allegedly listened and answered his prayer.
On January 14, 2007, at the now-closed Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, a baby named Tyquan Hall was born via emergency C-section under grim circumstances.
According to the Diocese of Almería, little Tyquan suffered from oxygen deprivation, was pale, cyanotic, and barely had a pulse – he was not expected to survive.
After nearly an hour of intensive efforts to resuscitate the child, his heart eventually stopped completely.
‘It’s your turn’
Dr. Juan Sánchez-Esteban, a Spanish-born physician from Almería, faced the unbearable task of announcing the baby’s death. Making a final, desperate plea, he invoked the Venerable Father Salvador Valera Parra, a 19th-century Spanish priest declared venerable by Pope Francis in 2021.
In an interview with Spanish Catholic outlet Vida Nueva, the doctor recalled whispering a prayer his parents taught him when he was just a boy: “Fr. Valera, I have done everything I can. Now it’s your turn.”
The priest Dr. Sanchez-Esteban prayed to was Salvador Valera Parra (1816 to 1889), a Spanish cleric from Huércal-Overa who was renowned in Andalusia for caring for the sick during a deadly cholera outbreak.
Fr. Valera had never been credited with a miracle – until now.
‘Suddenly recovered’
As the doctor traveled down the cold hospital halls to tell Tyquan’s parents that their baby had died, the nurse chased him down and told the doctor that Tyquan “suddenly recovered.”
“A few minutes after the prayer, the child began breathing and his heartbeat began to return normally. After this difficult episode, Tyquan should have been affected by developmental damage such as cerebral palsy and mental and physical disabilities in the areas of language and motor skills, but he remains without any after-effects,” the Diocese of Almería writes.
Meanwhile, Rev. Timothy Reilly, Chancellor of Diocese of Providence, told WPRI that “something outside this world” was “responsible” for “Tyquan’s healing.”
“The fact that the baby had stopped breathing, he had not taken a breath for 65 minutes, and they kept working on him. That really kind of played out in my mind when I thought about it,” They all point to the fact that this could not be explained. Something outside this world is responsible for his healing.”
Recently, Pope Leo XIV announced that a miracle did in fact happen at Memorial Hospital in Rhode Island – the first Vatican-confirmed miracle to ever take place in the state.
With one miracle now confirmed, Valera Parra’s path to sainthood accelerates. According to canon law, one more authenticated miracle is required to declare him a saint.
On July 18, the Diocese of Providence shared a post on X, explaining that Reilly called Valera Parra’s canonization “wonderful news.”
Reilly, who assisted the Spanish Diocese of Almería with the investigation of the case that started in 2014, said the miracle “is a reminder of the power of prayer and the intercession of holy men and women. God is indeed close to us. We are thrilled that this recognition will move the cause of beatification and canonization forward for Venerable Servant of God Salvador Valera Parra.”
Divine intervention
To this day, Tyquan’s inexplicable recovery leaves doctors baffled – but Dr. Sánchez-Esteban likely knows it was divine intervention.
In a carefully worded statement to the Daily Mail, he said: “As a physician, I have the privilege of witnessing both the fragility and the incredible resilience of life. While I cannot speak about any individual patient due to HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) privacy laws, I understand that a recent recognition by the Vatican has brought comfort and meaning to many,” he said, referring to the alleged divine intervention of Valera Parra.
“We are honored to be part of the stories that inspire hope,” the doctor continued, “and we remain committed to providing care grounded in compassion, excellence, and respect for every individual and their beliefs,” he wrote in conclusion.
One thing is certain: whether you believe in miracles or not, something extraordinary happened in that hospital room. And now, under the leadership of Pope Leo XIV, it’s been etched into the official record of the Catholic Church.
