Pope Leo XIV has confirmed the first miracle of his papacy: the revival of a newborn in Rhode Island whose heart had stopped for over an hour.
The baby, Tyquan Hall, was born on January 14, 2007, via emergency C-section at the now-closed Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket. Suffering from severe oxygen deprivation, he was declared dead after nearly an hour of failed resuscitation.
Dr. Juan Sánchez-Esteban, the attending physician, said he whispered a childhood prayer to 19th-century Spanish priest Salvador Valera Parra, asking for help: “Fr. Valera, I’ve done all I can. Now it’s your turn.” Moments later, the nurse rushed to inform him that the baby’s heart had restarted. Remarkably, Tyquan survived without any lasting damage.
This is the first miracle ever confirmed by the Vatican in Rhode Island and the first attributed to Fr. Valera, accelerating his path to sainthood. One more confirmed miracle is needed for canonization.
Dr. Sánchez-Esteban, while bound by privacy laws, acknowledged the event’s impact: “The recognition by the Vatican has brought comfort and meaning to many.”
Church officials called it a clear sign of divine intervention and the power of prayer.