Prayers for Little Bernadette

Bernadette is Need of Your Prayers

Little Bernadette Sanchez is suffering right now and in need of your prayers. She is a transplant patient and a normal cold can be very serious. She is currently in the PICU missing her brother and older sister. Please interceded to Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette to whom she is named after. This is their story and Bernadette's story.

Praying for Bernadette

The St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation for Freedom, Family and Faith is committed to prayer and support of all families and especially "families in crisis". The Sanchez Family is a friend both of our foundation and of the Mercedarian community of faith.

When Kate Sanchez, Bernadette's mother reached out to the foundation, we were filled with compassion and prayers for her family and especially her daughter Bernadette. In Kate's own words, here is her story:

The Sanchez Family's Story

The Sanchez Children (Bernadette, second from right)

Kate's Own Words:

"My husband and I weren't regular church attendees. I had been baptized as an adult at a non-denominational evangelical church and he was a non-practicing cradle Catholic. We floated between an independent Baptist church and a few Catholic churches in Phoenix, trying to find our “home.” We wanted to raise our, then only two, girls with faith but not really sure how or where to go about that. I had dabbled with becoming Catholic but I wasn't really sure if that was where God was calling us to be. I wanted a sign and boy did I get one.

Bernadette, our second child, was nine months old when she was diagnosed with her Neuroblastoma. She had choked on a packing peanut and I took her to the Emergency Room to rule-out her swallowing other nonfood items. They did an X-Ray. The normal, routine procedure for foreign body was ruled out. They didn't see any metal and sent us home. The next morning, I had three frantic voicemails calling us back in-- they had found something. In my opinion, the "score" was: God- 1, Secular approach- 0.

We carried on with our nonchalant approach to faith throughout her chemotherapy and up until her tumor resection (removal) --which we flew to NYC from Phoenix for-- when we were hit over the head again. She clotted on the operating table. At 15 months old, she had stumped the chief of surgery with 30 years of experience. She had survived a clot no one else ever would. It took three months and five very dangerous surgeries. Score: God 2- secular approach- 0.

During the time she was at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, we started attending Daily Mass at St. Catherine of Siena Church. We would light candles and pleading for her life. We would sit, smell the incense and cry to God. We decided to continue to go to Mass after we returned to Phoenix. There was a pull to the Catholic Church after she had recovered, however, we still were sluggish.

She wasn't getting better after returning, in fact, her IV nutrition (she wasn't allowed to eat by mouth) was making her sick. So sick, in fact, we packed up the family and moved to Philadelphia for CHOP (hospital system). She was in end stage liver disease that eventually progressed into liver failure and needed a multi-organ transplant.

There was nothing we could do, as parents, but we had a choice. We could take the secular approach, and be angry, yell scream and fight until divorce or we could turn to God. We chose to sit at the foot of the cross. We chose to say every morning, “Thy will be done." We chose to see joy in her suffering.

That was over three years ago. Bernadette got very sick. Not one doctor thought she would actually make it. She received her transplant and despite some big bumps in the road post-transplant, she is doing well. Score: God- too many to count, secular approach- 0.

Turning to God, surrendering to Him, gave us the courage, strength and peace to watch our baby knock on death's door. We knew that regardless of the outcome, by repeating “Thy will be done" that God would not leave us."

Now she is sick again, and in need of of our prayers. Lord, please hear our prayer for Bernadette.

Please Continue Your Prayers for Bernadette and The Sanchez Family

Your prayers are so valuable to this family and to little Bernadette. Please feel free to spread this message to all of your contacts as the family is in real need of prayers and support. Keep the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation for Freedom, Family, and Faith in mind for "family ministry". Our website is Nonnatus.org. Contact our director at 215-870-9913 with prayer intentions or any need for our outreach. Thank you for your prayers for little Bernadette and family.