Parish believes miracle of Bl. John XXIII saved bride’s life, wedding
Tim Keenan | Special to The Michigan Catholic
New Baltimore — Meghan Warren, daughter of St. Mary Queen of Creation Parish lay ministers David and Debbie Warren, recently made an unlikely 26-day journey from the intensive care unit at Troy Beaumont Hospital to the altar of the New Baltimore church for her wedding. The church’s pastor, Fr. Nick Zukowski, credits the intercession of Blessed Pope John XXIII in part for the bride’s seemingly miraculous recovery.
The night of July 13, Warren, 29, tried on her wedding dress before feeling chest pains severe enough to warrant a visit to the emergency room. Doctors there diagnosed a gall bladder issue, checked her in and administered medication. At some point during the next night, she suffered what doctors called a “sleep apnea event” that stopped her heart for 19 minutes. She was resuscitated and put in ICU on a ventilator in critical condition.
To prevent brain damage, Warren underwent therapeutic hypothermia, which lowers the body’s core temperature to 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) for 24 hours to allow any brain swelling to dissipate. Because it takes 12 hours to cool down and another 12 to get back to normal, the whole process took a few days. By July 17, she was back to her normal temperature — still on a ventilator — but passed a battery of basic neurological tests.
Her condition continued to improve day by day until she was released from the hospital July 24. It was determined that the gall bladder condition can wait until later to be treated.
Throughout the entire nine-day hospital ordeal, the Queen of Creation community, friends of the Warrens and hundreds of others began a near-constant prayer vigil with multiple missions.
The first mission was to save the young woman’s life. That evolved to keeping her from being permanently disabled. Ultimately, the goal became to get the bride to church in time for her wedding to Patrick Neeme, which she did, on Aug. 10.
“We are awed and humbled by the hundreds and hundreds, and what sounds like even thousands who joined our mighty force of prayer warriors,” said David Warren, St. Mary’s music minister. “We shared all the positive energy with Meghan during this whole episode, and it provided her encouragement and support.”
Fr. Zukowski said many people were “storming heaven with prayers,” including Queen of Creation’s associate pastor, Fr. Saji Mukkoot; the motherhouse of the Congregation of St. Joseph in Kalamazoo and the motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters in Adrian. Family members organized at least two prayer vigils in their homes. “Several parish and out-of-parish prayer chains were operating full-throttle,” Fr Zukowski said.
Although extraordinary and heroic medical treatment was provided by the staff at Beaumont Hospital, those closest to the situation believe more was involved.
“The progress she has made can only be explained as miraculous,” the relieved father of the bride said after the fact. “The medical team in ICU called her ‘Miss Miracle.’ There is nothing beyond the reach of a loving God.”
Fr. Zukowski is confident the reason Meghan responded so positively to the medical treatment and apparently has no ill effects is daily prayer to the Lord through the intercession of Blessed Pope John XXIII.
“The reason I chose him is because Pope Francis appears to have waived the requirement for a verifiable final medical miracle before Blessed Pope John XXIII could advance to canonization,” said Fr. Zukowski, who was out of town during the events. “I figured that Meghan’s healing could be the needed miraculous healing.
“A few days later, Dave told me of the miraculous healing, and how the medical staff could offer no explanation for the disappearance of symptoms and the restoration that was going on,” he said. “I found out later that two other people had confirmed to Dave that they, too, had been praying through the intercession of Blessed Pope John XXIII. These two other people are independent of me and of the parish.”
Meghan, an aspiring elementary school teacher, said that throughout her ordeal, she felt as if she was in Hawaii, her idea of paradise.
“All I remember is dreaming about being in Hawaii with my parents, my fiancé Patrick and my brother, Michael,” she recalled. “I was lying in a hospital bed, completely dressed in white. Every five minutes or so I heard someone say, ‘You’re going to be OK. I’m taking care of you.’ I assumed it was a doctor, but now I know it was God. In his infinite wisdom, he knew exactly where I wanted to be. In my Hawaii dream I was calm, peaceful, not afraid and very happy.
“I am so incredibly thankful for all of the prayers and people who were thinking of me during this time,” she said. “As I continue to recover, I thank everyone for their continued prayers and support.”
Tim Keenan is a freelance writer based in Farmington Hills.
How to help
Despite her miraculous recovery, Meghan (Warren) Neeme lacked health insurance at the time of her hospital stay, and family and friends are asking for help in defraying the costs of her medical bills. To help or to learn more about her story, visit www.MeghansMiracle.org.
