Review of Miracles from Heaven (2016) by Robin T — 22 Jul 2016

This was a tough movie for me to watch as the mother of a childhood cancer patient. I think there were so many moments people might have missed in this (including negative reviewers) that you just couldn't get unless you'd had a similar life experience. You might imagine how you'd cope with it, but you can't know. First, there's the knowledge as the mother that you KNOW something is wrong with your baby that the medical community is not finding. There's the real condecension that can come from some in the medical field that a mother is "hysterical" and brush her off. I thought Jennifer Garner did a good job portraying those frustrated emotions of not being listened to.

Then there's the shocked horror when your fears are finally confirmed. When she walked out on that first confirmation of diagnosis after the surgery, Jennifer Garner looked like every gut-punched mother who's ever heard something like that--whether they were expecting it to come or not.

I also thought Anna was beautifully portrayed as well. You've never seen strength until you've seen critically ill children and how they handle it. Sure they have their moments as anyone would do, but they continue to have joy; they continue to play; they sing; they dance; and, amazingly, they end up as a source of comfort and strength to their parents.

Now going to that first shot of breakfast with checking the pump on Anna's nutrition; pulling out that tubing from her nose; the whiteboard propped up with all those medications and schedules. Learning how to do all of that while you're exhausted and traumatized is not easy. I had to learn to give my child infusions and other things that as someone who is extremely medically squeamish, I didn't think I'd ever do. But a Mom does what a Mom's gotta do. I guess I appreciated that scene more because I knew what went into the learning and how more commonplace the unthinkable can become.

I appreciated the scene in the movie of Anna in the hospital bed after so much time in pain and lashing out at her mother--and her mother lashing back out at her. I've seen my child writhing in pain on a hospital bed begging me for morphine (couldn't, because it wasn't time yet) and then begging me to pray. It's heartwrenching and horrifying. I've been on the receiving end of those lash outs and I've returned fire. It's hard to imagine a time when you would get irritated with your critically ill child, but you're exhausted, living with constant terror of losing them, and then they're not cooperating on top of that. It happens.

I appreciated the scenes of the family separated and the Dad at home taking care of earning a living; taking care of their other daughters; and just keeping their lives running while Mom took care of their sick child across the country. I've seen that so many times. Families separated for months at a time because at least one parent has to continue working and keeping the other kids in school. You want to keep the well kids' lives as normal as possible, but that is next to impossible to do. Also, parents stepping outside their normal roles and doing things they would've never done without somehting like this happening--like the Dad drying one daughter's hair while giving clothes advice to the other.

I appreciated where Jennifer Garner lists all of the ways they've been blessed in their journey--by the help of friends; by the medical community (her hugs for all the Boston staff and showing the relationship she'd develped with them over time was well done); and by the kindess of strangers--that is so realistic because we experienced that, too. Once, we were on our way home from treatment several hours away and had to stop to eat. My child was wearing a mask, and an older lady asked if it was for his protection or the public's. When I told her, she reached into her purse and gave my child money to buy a gift. Just countless acts of compassion we witnessed and received.

I've read a lot of negative reviews about the this movie preaching to the converted, blah, blah, blah. If you're not a believer, just take away a sense of compassion for those hurting and try to be a blessing to them. You don't have to be a Christian to do that. You just have to be a decent human being.