Friend of AGC…, T.D. forwarded a copy of this inspirational story of Diana and David Blessing and their daughter, Danae, born when Diana had been pregnant for only 24 weeks. This is one of the most widely circulated inspirational stories on the Internet and one of the most commonly forwarded to TruthOrFiction.com. Read it and see if you thing it is fact or fiction.
THE SMELL OF RAIN“A cold March wind danced around the dead of night in Dallas as the Doctor walked into the small hospital room of Diana Blessing. Still groggy from surgery, her husband David held her hand as they braced themselves for the latest news. That afternoon of March 10,1991, complications had forced Diana, only 24 weeks pregnant, to Danae Lu Blessing. 
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“At 12 inches long and weighing only one pound and nine ounces, they already knew she was perilously premature. Still, the doctor's soft words dropped like bombs. I don't think she's going to make it, he said, as kindly as he could. "There's only a 10 percent chance she will live through the night, and even then, if by some slim chance she does make it, her future could be a very cruel one." Numb with disbelief, David and Diana listened as the doctor described the devastating problems Danae would likely face if she survived. She would never walk, she would never talk, she would probably be blind, and she would certainly be prone to other catastrophic conditions from cerebral palsy to complete mental retardation, and on and on. "No! No!" was all Diana could say. She and David, with their 5-year-old son Dustin, had long dreamed of the day they would have a daughter to become a family of four. Now, within a matter of hours, that dream was slipping away.
“Through the dark hours of morning as Danae held onto life by the thinnest thread, Diana slipped in and out of sleep, growing more and more determined that their tiny daughter would live, and live to be a healthy, happy young girl. But David, fully awake and listening to additional dire details of their daughter's chances of ever leaving the hospital alive, much less healthy, knew he must confront his wife with the inevitable. David walked in and said that we needed to talk about making funeral arrangements. Diana remembers, 'I felt so bad for him because he was doing everything, trying to include me in what was going on, but I just wouldn't listen, I couldn't listen. I said, "No that is not going to happen, no way! I don't care what the doctors say; Danae is not going to die! One day she will be just fine, and she will be coming home with us!"
“As if willed to live by Diana's determination, Danae clung to life hour after hour, with the help of every medical machine and marvel her miniature body could endure. But as those first days passed, a new agony set in for David and Diana. Because Danae's under-developed nervous system was essentially raw, the lightest kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn't even cradle their tiny baby girl against their chests to offer the strength of their love. All they could do, as Danae struggled alone beneath the ultraviolet light in the tangle of tubes and wires, was to pray that God would stay close to their precious little girl. There was never a moment when Danae suddenly grew stronger.
“But as the weeks went by, she did slowly gain an ounce of weight here and an ounce of strength there. At last, when Danae turned two months old, her parents were able to hold her in their arms for the very first time. And two months later-though doctors continued to gently but grimly warn that her chances of surviving, much less living any kind of normal life, were next to zero. Danae went home from the hospital, just as her mother had predicted.
“Today, five years later, Danae is a petite but feisty young girl with glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for life. She shows no signs, what so ever, of any mental or physical impairment. Simply, she is everything a little girl can be and more-but that happy ending is far from the end of her story.
“One blistering afternoon in the summer of 1996 near her home in Irving, Texas, Danae was sitting in her mother's lap in the bleachers of a local ballpark where her brother Dustin's baseball team was practicing. As always, Danae was chattering non-stop with her mother and several other adults sitting nearby when she suddenly fell silent. Hugging her arms across her chest, Danae asked, "Do you smell that?" Smelling the air and detecting the approach of a thunderstorm, Diana replied, "Yes, it smells like rain." Danae closed her eyes and again asked, "Do you smell that?" Once again, her mother replied, "Yes, I think we're about to get wet, it smells like rain. Still caught in the moment, Danae shook her head, patted her thin shoulders with her small hands and loudly announced, "No, it smells like Him. It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest." Tears blurred Diana's eyes as Danae then happily hopped down to play with the other children.
“Before the rains came, her daughter's words confirmed what Diana and all the members of the extended Blessing family had known, at least in their hearts, all along. During those long days and nights of her first two months of her life, when her nerves were too sensitive for them to touch her, God was holding Danae on His chest and it is His loving scent that she remembers so well. . .”
FACT OR FICTION?
TruthOrFiction.com has been in contact with the Blessings who confirm that the story is true and that now 9 year-old Danae is doing wonderfully. Here are excerpts from Diana Blessing's message to TruthOrFiction.com on 8/21/00:
"Yes, the story known as THE SMELL OF RAIN is true.
"The original title is 'Heaven Scent'. About 5 years ago now, the C.E.O. of Columbia hospitals decided to compile some of the wonderful stories that he had received and put them into a book formatted similar to the 'Chicken Soup' series. This book was titled 'Miracles In Our Midst.' Danae's story was submitted and picked in rough draft written by my mother. The 'writers' then called and interviewed me, finalizing the story from this interview. When the book was released, he decided to use his, 'favorite story' to promote the book on the Internet. It happened to be Danae's story. People then began the long journey that has now revolved over and over all around the globe as they took that little story and forwarded it to their friends and loved ones. The story has been in numerous church newsletters, two magazines and has most recently been published in the latest 'Chicken Soup' book titled 'Chicken Soup For The Christian Family Soul.'
"Danae is now a lively, beautiful, active, free-spirited, blissful, God-loving fourth-grader. She is in the Gifted and Talented program. Still petite, but growing daily. She loves to play 'active' sports. Soccer, softball, basketball. She had taken gymnastics and loved it. Especially the fact that she shares a birthday with Shannon Miller, but decided to stick with the more aggressive sports. She swims like a little fish. Loves all animals. Has several of her own. . . Read more of Diana Blessing's letter about her daughter here.
UPDATE
Here is an even more recent update on Danae.
"Fifteen-year-old Danae Blessing of Irving came back from the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Camp John Marc with new experiences, new friends and a new talent.
"“My favorite thing to do was photography,” said Danae, who spent much of the week in the darkroom developing pictures of the sky, trees and more. “We learned how to turn the picture white by putting objects on top of it — I put my name over one, it was really cool.”
“Danae looks forward to camp all year, the kids all have something different but common that binds them all together,” said her mother Diana. “When she comes back, it’s like part of her heart always stays, it’s kind of wrenching for me.” Camp John Marc in Meridian has hosted the MDA summer camp for more than 10 years — this was Danae’s third year...”
You can read the rest of the article
here.
COMMENT
The pro-abortionists do not consider Danae a viable life while in her mother’s womb. Danae, like many others prove that the developing fetus is indeed a living human being. It is interesting following the story through these brief excerpts. Danae really is a blessing to her family, others and to God. He has to be justifiably angry when He sees the Planned Parenthood Federation of America clinics expunging lives regularly across this nation.
Remember a vote for Giuliani, Romney, McCain, Rodham-Clinton, Obama or Edwards is a vote to deny the right of many 24 week old pre-born babies to life. Oh yes, Romney now claims that he is pro-life, but I do not believe his words when his deeds demonstrated the opposite. McCain is not 100% Pro-Life, he would deny the life of a baby conceived in rape or incest. Punish the misbehavior of the “parents” and not the victim, the pre-born baby, Senator McCain.
This is an important issue to many who believe in the sanctity of life. Abortion is not a political issue. It is more, it is a moral issue. It is an issue of justice.
I am afraid that the overwhelming scents that are now arising to God in Heaven are the burning bloodied and bludgeoned bodies of aborted babies.
