Mom Prays for Daughter Who Didn’t Breathe for 30 Minutes —The Next Moment, Girl Squeezes Her Hand

A young girl's family found her with no heartbeat for 30 minutes after she fell into a pond. Her mother relied on faith to miraculously bring her daughter back to life, and the girl ultimately squeezed her hand at one point while in the hospital.

Losing sight of a child is a parent's worst nightmare, especially in a vast property with so many different possibilities of where the child might have ended up. This was the predicament of the Aycock family when they realized their 2-year-old girl, Tessa Claire, was missing.

The Aycocks lived in a 5-acre lot. They had a rather vast field and large pond, where the little girl could have ventured out on her own after finding a way to exit the house.

Finding the Missing Girl

The entire family searched for 20 minutes before Amanda, Tessa's mom, told her husband to begin searching their pond. As their pond was big, Amanda knew that it wouldn't be an easy task, but she was desperate to locate Tessa.

When Amanda was nearing the pond, she suddenly heard her husband and father-in-law screaming for help. It was then that they knew something terrible had happened.

Initially, searching the pond and somehow finding Tessa seemed farfetched for the family. The pond was filled with moss, and it was impossible to see anything under it. However, Amanda's father-in-law followed his gut to search the pond.

He and his son jumped in and cast a fishing net twice. It was in their second attempt that they were able to locate Tessa, who was unresponsive and had no heartbeat.

Doing CPR on the Girl

Desperate for Tessa to survive, they immediately performed CPR on her until emergency services arrived at the scene. She had no signs of life until she was taken on an ambulance, where her heart miraculously began to beat again.

It had been 30 minutes since Tessa drowned in the pond, and another 30 minutes since they began performing CPR on her. To give her the best care possible, she was transferred to another hospital, where she was placed in the pediatric ICU.

Upon being admitted, Tessa's family was given the harsh reality of their choices: either they choose to resuscitate the young girl should she go into cardiac arrest again or sign a "Do Not Resuscitate" form to spare her from further suffering.

Leaning on Faith for Strength

Tessa's devastated mom Amanda started to lean on her faith for strength. She couldn't believe what was happening to her 2-year-old but kept reminding herself that God had a reason for everything.

Ultimately, the family chose to resuscitate Tessa in case they needed to. Although the young girl remained alive, her health complications started to worsen, and Amanda had nowhere else to turn to but God.

It wasn't just Amanda and her family praying for Tessa. Their friends, community, and even strangers began storming the heavens for miracles. At one point, Amanda broke down beside her daughter and held her hand.

"I can't do this life without her," she prayed. "I need her, Father. I am begging you. I am begging you," she continued to pray. At that moment, God answered her prayers. As she held on to her daughter's hand, she gripped back, and that was all the courage the mom needed to go on.

A Miraculous Recovery

In the following days, Tessa began to show signs of recovery. However, despite her progress, doctors warned her family that she wouldn't be the same. The brain injury she sustained was so severe it would alter the way she moved, talked, and even remembered people—they were told Tessa wouldn't recognize them.

Despite the bad news, Amanda was faithful that God would heal her daughter. While they have a long way to go, the hopeful mom believes prayers will get them through, along with the many messages and donations of support they've been getting from everybody.

Amanda and the rest of her family have learned a lot from the whole ordeal. However, if there's one thing to cap it all off, she says it's this:

"God is faithful and in control."

In another heartwarming miracle story, a boy born without a heartbeat was able to come home for Christmas after his dad stormed the heavens with prayers. Click here to read all about it.