Parents Were Losing Remaining Son 3 Years after Other Son’s Death — He Comes Back to Life after Mom’s Prayer

A sixteen-year-old boy recently defied the odds by surviving after doctors pronounced him dead. His condition has led his family to solve parts of the mystery of why his younger brother previously passed away.

In January this year, Jennifer and Craig Berko dropped their son off to go rock climbing with his friends. However, what was meant to be a fun and happy occasion quickly transformed into something tragic.

Jennifer received a call that her son, Sammy, was undergoing CPR because he was unresponsive. Craig, a former firefighter, knew the only reason his son would be undergoing CPR was because his heart had stopped.

While most parents would be horrified and afraid to know their child's heart had stopped, it was particularly terrifying for the Berkos because it was something they had dealt with before with their younger son.

History Repeated Itself When Sammy Suffered a Heart Issue

Three years before Sammy became unresponsive while rock climbing with friends, they lost their son, Frankie. Frankie's heart stopped after he suffered a mild epileptic seizure. He was only ten.

When Jennifer and Craig returned to the rock climbing gym, they saw the Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) trying to stabilize their beloved son. They could only watch as the medical professionals found and then lost Sammy's heartbeat several times.

Eventually, Sammy was transported to the hospital, where doctors performed CPR on the teenager for ninety minutes. As Craig watched, he was hopeful but knew the outcome may not be good. He admitted:

"My hopes were that my son would all of a sudden wake up like in the movies. But in my head, it was exactly what we went through with our other son. I didn't have a good feeling about it. It had been too long."

After a long time trying to stabilize Sammy, doctors called his time of death, and the Berkos got the news for the second time in their lives that their son had tragically passed away. However, Jennifer and Craig noticed something important.

How Did Craig's Keen Attention Help Sammy?

After doctors pronounced Sammy dead, they left Jennifer and Craig alone in the hospital room to say their final goodbyes to their precious son. Jennifer prayed for her son, and they both spoke to him.

They took turns telling Sammy how proud they were of all he had achieved and that they were sorry they couldn't save him. Craig recalls staring at his son's face and thinking:

"I couldn't believe it was happening again."

But as Craig stared at his son, he noticed some movement. He thought he may be imagining things or that it was wishful thinking on his part. Still, he saw his son struggle for breath and quickly called a doctor back into the room.

The doctor told Craig that the appearance of his son struggling for breath might be reflexive. However, when he entered the room and saw Sammy, the doctor knew that the young man was alive.

The team quickly returned to Sammy's room and began working on him again. Doctors were able to rush Sammy to the ICU but were met with another problem—his organs were failing.

Aside from that, doctors could not find any brain activity in the young man. However, Jennifer recalled that she noticed his eye move when she spoke to her son. Jennifer knew then what she needed to do.

She began to play her son, who is a drummer, his favorite playlist and spoke to him throughout. She recalled:

"I looked at Sammy and said, 'They're telling me you're not going to make it. You've already proven them wrong once. I know you can do it again.'"

Shortly after his mother spoke to him, Sammy opened his eyes. After that, the doctors' attitudes changed from defeat to motivation. Everyone knew they had to band together to save Sammy.

Sammy spent two weeks in the ICU but, unfortunately, lost all memory. The last thing he remembered was signing the safety waiver at the rock climbing gym before the incident.

His friends clarified what happened. Sammy had reached the top of the rock climbing wall and triumphantly rang the bell. Suddenly, he went limp, which his friends thought was a joke. Upon hearing this, Jennifer realized what happened to Sammy may explain what happened to Frankie when had passed away three years earlier.

Now, Sammy is on the road to recovery, even though he can't walk by himself yet. Doctors marvel at the young man; he has even been called a "literal miracle" because he was already pronounced dead but survived.

What Condition Do Jennifer and Her Sons Share?

After both her sons went through peculiar incidents, Jennifer knew they were somehow related. To find out more, the entire family underwent rare genetic disease testing, including Frankie, whose DNA sample was found in the medical system.

The results revealed that Jennifer and her sons had a rare genetic disease called catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. This heart condition causes irregular heart rhythms due to adrenaline surges, which explains why it happened during Sammy's climb and Frankie's seizure.

Sammy and Jennifer are now being treated for the condition. The Berkos have mused how different life could be if babies were tested for the genetic disorder so they could be treated and live a happy life.

Talking about why they think Sammy survived everything he went through, Jennifer and Craig said it was because he has a zest for life. He loved living and fought through everything so he could do just that.

The Berkos also shared that since Frankie passed away, their family had become a triangle. Even so, they love each other fiercely and are grateful for each other. What an inspirational story of a strong family!

Although the Berko parents were the ones who came to their son's rescue, it is not unusual for children to save their parents. In this case, a young girl saved her mother from drowning after having a seizure.