Nurse Mistakenly Blinds a Newborn

Short Summary: Peter Smith Jr. miraculously regained his sight and healed from severe burns after the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart prayed for him following a nurse's error at birth.

Details

Location: New York, United States

Year: 1921

Prayer: Lord God, Father in Heaven, I have faith in Your care for us, Your little children whom You greatly love. Grant me the childlike trust that reflects my humility under the light of Your almighty power, following the example of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Heal our spiritual blindness, so we may clearly discern Your will. Grant us the grace to live according to the words of Mother Cabrini: “Let us go forward, without fear.” May we find complete trust in Your love. Amen.

Verse: Jesus had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” -Lk 7:21-23

Full Story

Peter Smith Jr. was born at Columbus Hospital on March 13, 1921. Two hours after his birth, a nurse washed his eyes out with silver nitrate, but accidentally used a 50% solution instead of the usual 1% mixture. The effect was disastrous. Peter's eyes became black, and his corneas were completely destroyed. To make matters worse, the acid ran down his chest causing third-degree burns, and inhaling the powerful fumes led to double pneumonia. The hospital was operated by nuns (the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus), who together sat in prayer all night. An article in the newspaper stated that the nuns "stormed Heaven" with prayers, "invoking the intercession" of their foundress Mother Cabrini. Twenty-four hours later, to the astonishment of the doctors, the burns had disappeared, and the baby’s eyes were fully restored. One of the doctors asked, "Am I seeing things?", to which the second doctor replied, "No, you’re not seeing things, but he is." The Sisters continued to pray a second night, as the pneumonia still threatened the child's life, who carried a fever of 107° F. By the next morning, his pneumonia was gone. Peter's younger brother, F.X. Smith, was named in honor of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini as a "mark of thanksgiving" for the healing. Both brothers went on to become priests in the Archdiocese of New York.

Related Miracles