Priscilla and Emanuele Bruno from Chicago have already raised six children, but they wanted to expand the family even further. The couple had previously ʟᴏsᴛ a child and were overjoyed to learn they were expecting another child, but their ordeal was not over: their baby boy was born with the same ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄ ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀ as the baby they had ʟᴏsᴛ, and doctors predicted he would live for only a half-hour.

The couple’s seventh baby, Francesco, was diagnosed with a rare ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄ ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀ called Pʟᴀᴛʏsᴘᴏɴᴅʏʟɪᴄ ʟᴇᴛʜᴀʟ sᴋᴇʟᴇᴛᴀʟ ᴅʏsᴘʟᴀsɪᴀ, which is a sᴇʀɪᴏᴜs ᴀʙɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟɪᴛʏ of ʙᴏɴᴇ ɢʀᴏᴡᴛʜ, and the little boy unfortunately lived only five days. The couple wanted another child very much, and Priscilla soon became pregnant again, but shortly before the baby was born, doctors determined that she would suffer from the same ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀ as her brother.

Francesco was born in December 2019, and although his parents were excited to finally hold him in their arms, they knew their prospects were very poor. “The doctors told us he would only live 30 minutes,” Priscilla said.

The ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀ made it difficult for the baby to breathe on his own, so they had to put him on a ventilator. The parents watched helplessly as their son struggled and prepared for the worst. “We were aware that his death was very possible,” Emanuele said.

Francesco was transferred from one hospital to another, and the parents suffered from uncertainty all the time because they had no idea how much time their son had left. In March 2021, Francesco was transferred to La Rabida Children’s Hospital, where he was cared for until October 2022. The couple’s faith gave them strength throughout, and they prayed that their little boy would survive. “We have always sought God’s help in life,” said Emanuele.

Francesco was hospitalized for over 1,000 days before being released to his parents shortly before his third birthday. “We are very happy and ready to start a new chapter, a new adventure,” said the mother, adding that she and her husband never thought this day would come.

Francesco was released home on October 11, 2022, to the great joy of his parents and siblings, and a new chapter in the family’s life began. Emanuele admitted that he had a lot of emotions on the day when they were finally able to take their little boy home. He felt happy, nervous, tense, scared and excited all at the same time.

“It’s a real miracle that he can be here with us today,” Priscilla added.

As the hospital staff had spent a lot of time with Francesco, they too were touched by the emotional moment, and although they were happy that he could finally go home to his family, they knew that he would be missed as he was a part of their daily lives.

Doctors and nurses prepared the parents to care for their son and sent them home with the hope that Francesco would have a happy and healthy life. Priscilla and Emanuele are extremely grateful to the doctors, but at the same time, they consider what happened to be a real miracle.

As Catholics, they say their faith helped them get through the hardest part of their lives, and even though they couldn’t know if their son would survive, they always felt that God would definitely take care of them.

“We feel that there is only one sure thing in life, and that is heaven,” said Emanuele.

His siblings welcomed Francesco home with great love, and the family enthusiastically prepared to celebrate the little boy’s third birthday in December.