When newborn girl Frankie Morrison took her first breath in this world, the medical professionals attending her birth were speechless. She brought with her an unusual and medically fascinating condition – Frankie was afflicted in a manner rarely if ever observed by doctors anywhere. Where there ought to have been blood pumping through this fragile infant’s body, instead there was only water. The list of explanations for why doctors expected her to perish within minutes was immense, and they were blunt with the’s parents about what was most likely about to happen. Barring a miracle, Frankie would soon be on her way to meet her maker. The subject of last rites was brought up to parents Maria Sandars and Chris Morrison; many hospitals keep a priest on call, and this one was no exception.
There were previous signs of trouble with the pregnancy. Sandars told her doctors that it felt like little Frankie wasn’t wriggling around in the womb anymore. At this late stage in the pregnancy, that’s almost always bad news. The physicians brushed it off at first. It was probably just Frankie being lazy, they told her. But Sandars knew better. She was convinced something less innocent was behind her unborn child’s sluggishness. Regardless, she eventually relented, and was sent on her way home with some light reading meant to quash her lingering fear and doubt. It goes without saying that it didn’t work. Two days after this scene, Sandars was back in the ER. Doctors took another look at the baby. Still no movement, but the heart was beating strongly, so they still weren’t worried.
And then one of them saw something they didn’t like. Soon afterwards, Sandars was being hurtled into the operating theater. She needed a C-section as fast as possible. Frankie was pulled directly out of her mother’s womb. She was still and unresponsive. Her first destination: the intensive care ward. Once there, the main problem was evident. Frankie had water where her blood should be. Perhaps a quarter of a cup of blood coursed through her veins. Sandars would later describe her baby to the Daily Mail as “bloated” from the disproportionate amount of water inside of her.
The doctors were at a loss. They’d never encountered this phenomenon before, and were resigned to what they knew must be Frankie’s fate. It seemed that Sandars herself was the only one in the room avoiding a breakdown. She was dedicated to hoping against hope that her baby would find a way to pull through. Before she knew it, it seemed as if she might get her wish. It took a few transfusions of blood to improve her standing, but Frankie managed to bounce back. Soon she was functioning exceptionally well. Half a year later, Sandars’s consultant couldn’t believe that the beautiful, healthy young girl before him really was Frankie Morrison. “…He was nearly in tears…” Sandars remembered. It was a story to warm the hearts of anyone railing against the odds for the best outcome to happen for their loved ones.
