Our Own Miracle - Paperback

by Niki Lambropoulos (Author)

Rosa Flores relives her long struggle for a child on her way to the delivery room in a Los Angeles hospital, having already decided to sacrifice her own life for her unborn baby. Inspired by a true story, this is the journey of a Mexican American woman born and raised in Los Angeles, a teacher and artist in her thirties who dreams of building a loving family. After a painful breakup that affects both her personal life and her work as a kindergarten teacher, Rosa meets Luke Anderson, a lawyer, at a family gathering. Their connection is immediate, and they build a happy marriage that lasts more than a decade. But their dream of becoming parents slowly turns into a relentless battle. Despite consulting leading doctors, enduring repeated miscarriages, isolation, and eventual financial strain, they are told that Rosa cannot have children. Denial, anger, depression, and grief begin to erode the stability of their marriage and shake the foundations of their faith.

As time runs out, Rosa and Luke take one final risk and place their hopes in an old friend who is now a fertility doctor. Against the odds, in-vitro fertilization succeeds, and Rosa becomes pregnant with a baby boy. Yet hardship does not ease. Their parents fall ill, and Rosa's deeply religious mother attempts suicide, further destabilising their sense of belief and purpose. On the way to the delivery room, Rosa is prepared to give her life to save her child, while her doctor faces a devastating professional dilemma over who can be saved. Rosa survives the birth, but the baby is discovered to have a potentially severe heart condition and is placed on life support. Almost simultaneously, Rosa is diagnosed with leukemia and is unable to see or hold her son. Powerless in the face of both their lives hanging in the balance, Luke is shattered. Forced to confront mortality, marriage, and motherhood in their rawest form, Rosa begins to reassess her relationship with herself and with life. She chooses to fight, agreeing to aggressive chemotherapy in the hope of survival. As mother and child face their most fragile moment, the question remains: will they survive this final battle, and will life allow them the happiness they have fought so hard to claim?