‘Miracle child’: Small body, big testimony

When you look at the smiling, vivacious Isla-Ann Glad today, it’s hard to believe that her life’s journey began as a tiny baby of only 620 g. She already had to start fighting for her life at 23 weeks.

Her story is not only described as a medical miracle story, but one of extreme faith, a mother’s unwavering perseverance and the constant awareness that the Lord is involved in the finest details of people’s lives.

(Photo: Provided)

For Brenda-Lynn Glad, who lives with her daughter in Nigel in Gauteng, the path to motherhood was a deliberate choice. After not meeting the right life partner, she decided to realize her dream of becoming a mother through in vitro fertilization (IVF).

“The Lord has placed a desire in my heart. I have always wanted to be a mother, specifically a girl’s mother. How great the Lord is to answer my prayer.”

She says she was 36 when she finally decided to see a fertility doctor.

“I already started thinking about the idea three years before, because I hadn’t met anyone with whom I could build a life.”

The final decision came after a big loss. Her grandmother, who played a huge role in her life after Glad’s own mother died when she was only six months old, died in June 2024.

It made her realize that life is short and that she had to start chasing her dreams. And a child of her own was a big part of this.

Although her father initially kicked against the idea for a long time, “because it is not the traditional way to have children”, he eventually supported her decision.

“My friends and family have always been incredibly supportive and fully supported my dream. They did everything to make her feel loved and protected.”

Fight for life and death

Glad’s pregnancy initially went well. She was expecting twins – two little girls – and the first 18 weeks were without problems. However, the 20-week routine examination showed that her cervix was beginning to open and an emergency procedure was performed to insert a stitch to try and keep the babies safe. Isla-Ann was already in danger because she was lying very low, with a risk that the amniotic sac could be damaged during the procedure.

“Thankfully, the procedure was successful and both babies were initially stable.”

Bed rest followed for the remainder of her pregnancy.

On March 9, 2025, a placental abruption caused Glad to go into early labor and an emergency caesarean section was performed. Isla-Ann was born in an extremely critical condition. Her sister was born without a heartbeat and oxygen and although medical staff were able to resuscitate her, she lived for only seven hours.

“There I had to hold my little body at ten o’clock in the evening for the first and last time. I had to mourn the child I lost and look helplessly at the little body that technically had a zero percent chance of survival.

“It was terrible to see. She was as big as my hand. Her eyes and toes weren’t fully developed yet, and her skin was so thin that you couldn’t even rub it. Lungs only develop at about 24 weeks of pregnancy, and Isla-Ann’s lungs weren’t ready yet; her left lung also collapsed,” recalls Glad.

When she saw this tiny baby of only 620 g for the first time in the intensive care unit, the emotion overwhelmed her.

“I was very scared, sad, uncertain and not full of hope at all. The doctors were constantly honest and straightforward with me. We literally had to take every hour as it came, because the medical outlook looked bleak.”

‘Unexplained recovery’

Among other things, Isla-Ann contracted necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a serious and life-threatening stomach and intestinal inflammation that occurs especially in premature babies.

Due to her fragile condition, it was a battle between life and death. She survived four severe blood poisonings, which put inflammation and great strain on her organs.

Isla-Ann was also born with a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), a condition where a blood vessel in the heart does not close and extra blood flows to the lungs. This in turn leads to severe breathing problems and can cause cardiac arrest. She would have to undergo an operation to correct it.

On April 1, her ventilation pipe shifted. Isla-Ann stopped breathing and her heart stopped. The medical team tried for 30 minutes to revive her.

She was too unstable for heart surgery, but when the heart specialist looked at her heart again four weeks later, a surprise awaited: The hole had healed by itself, a miracle that cannot be explained medically, says Glad.

However, Glad describes this time as one of the most difficult seasons of her life.

“I had so many questions. Why me, why us, why my children? I was angry, hurt and lost. I even got to a point where I told the Lord it was right if He had to come and get her. I couldn’t watch her pain – the pipes and needles in such a small body were indescribably difficult. But through the storm I learned to trust that the Lord has His plan and that everything will go according to His will.”

(Photo: Provided)

Seven months in second home

After almost seven months in the Sandton Mediclinic’s intensive care unit, the hospital has become like a second home for Glad. She had to wait 52 days before she could hold her little girl for the first time.

During this time she formed a deep bond with the nursing staff and doctors. She is still in regular contact with them today and they follow Isla-Ann’s progress closely.

Glad says Isla-Ann’s medical story was so unique that her case was discussed twice before the hospital’s medical committee with professors on the panel. They suspected she might have brain damage due to the time without oxygen and recommended an MRI scan.

“After the MRI, the doctor pulled out a chair for me and told me to sit down. He started by mentioning everything my child had gone through. Then he said they stood watching the scan for over an hour, and he started crying.

“He said there is no medical statement, but my child has no brain damage.”

After this one miracle followed another.

“Isla-Ann was on oxygen for more than five months and I was convinced she would come home with it. I began to pray that the Lord would breathe new air into her lungs. Three days later she was off oxygen.”

Emotional homecoming

Glad initially stayed with her aunt in Sandton, just two kilometers from the hospital, for two months. However, she had to return to work again in May. She drove to the office at three o’clock every afternoon to be with Isla-Ann by four o’clock. Then followed the 100 km back home in the evening.

Isla-Ann was finally released from hospital on September 26 last year. It was a moment of joy, but also great fear. To suddenly bring home a baby who was cared for by a professional team for the first seven months of her life alone was a big responsibility.

After Isla-Ann was fired, Glad’s employer still granted her four months of maternity leave to spend time with her daughter.

“I was terribly insecure about myself and whether I would be able to take care of her. I have to admit, I cried every day when I held her. I think the trauma only really kicked in then.”

Major adjustments and constant vigilance ensued.

“In the hospital we had little time together and at home for the first time it was really just the two of us. I stayed scared and made sure she was breathing and warm enough. I didn’t sleep well, even though she slept through.”

Still, she describes it as a blessing: “It was the greatest privilege to finally build a bond with her and really get to know my child – all her quirks and whims.”

(Photo: Provided)

Hot water with a bright future

Isla-Ann is now one year and three months old and her health is doing very well, says her mother.

“She is a happy little whirlpool who smiles at any stranger.”

(Photo: Provided)

However, because she was born early, she did not develop the natural sucking reflex, meaning she could not drink from a bottle. She was therefore discharged with a PEG feeding tube.

Isla-Ann also developed retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in one eye, which poses a risk for vision problems. Despite this, she is making good progress. “She gets occupational therapy and physiotherapy every Thursday and we drive to Sandton to support her development.”

The milestones are slower than for many other children, but Glad never gives up.

“She has a little trouble crawling and walking will take even longer, but they usually catch up in the first two years of their life. She is eating well now, but we still give supplements through the PEG.

“She stands up and pulls herself up against things. She is doing really well, and it is thanks to a lot of love and the dedication to get her out of occupational therapy and physiotherapy. Even when she is talking, she says ‘Mummy’ and blows bubbles.”

Isla-Ann’s development remains a daily source of gratitude and wonder.

“A lot happens behind the scenes to support her development, but she is doing incredibly well. She is a cute, happy child. It is only the grace of God that she is developing so well.”

(Photo: Provided)

Hope for other parents

Today, if Glad looks back at the path she walked, she knows that Isla-Ann taught her the greatest lessons about life.

“Isla-Ann taught me that the most beautiful miracles are often born from the most difficult seasons.

“Love does not lie in big gestures, but in the little things: a gentle hand, a smile, a kiss on the forehead and the privilege of having another day together. She deepened my faith in a way that I could not foresee.”

For her mother, Isla-Ann’s life is not only a story of survival, but also one of faith, hope and deep spiritual growth.

“The biggest lesson she taught me is that love endures. We have to keep hoping and keep believing that miracles still happen – sometimes in the form of a little girl who reminds you every day that God was present in the fine details of our story.”

Her message to other parents, and especially to single parents who may feel tired, scared or overwhelmed, is one of deep encouragement.

“Your children don’t need a perfect parent, they need you. Your presence, your love and your sacrifice are more than enough.

“Miracles don’t always happen in the way or time we expect, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t working behind the scenes. Hold on to your faith, even if it’s sometimes with trembling hands.

“And when you understand the love you have for your child, you might just get a small glimpse of how much God loves you,” says Glad.

(Photo: Provided)