When Daniel and Michelle Schachle were expecting their 13th child, they received some unexpected news.
Their son was diagnosed with Down Syndrome and a deadly case of fetal hydrops. Doctors gave him no chance of survival, yet the Schalches refused to give up on their son.
DANIEL AND MICHELLE SCHACHLE
“I completely rejected the doctors' diagnosis and was really kind of mad about it, because they told us we should have an abortion instead of carrying the baby, and it made me angry because I felt like as a dad I should protect my son and not lead him into slaughter.”
Daniel and Michelle turned to Fr. Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, to ask for his intercession to save their son.
The Schalches left for a trip to Europe, where
they visited the Vatican and the Santuary of Our
Lady of Fatima. When they returned home, there was no sign of the deadly condition that threatened their son's life.
Months later, Michelle gave birth to Mikey, who bears the name of the priest who they say saved his life.
DANIEL AND MICHELLE SCHACHLE
'There were so many little miracles around our great miracle that is Michael, so many coincidences where God put everything in place, and when we looked back we really realized the greatness of the miracle, because He was doing more than saving Michael, he was telling the world how important people like Michael are, the medical community, and the women who have these diagnoses and are afraid.”
In May 2020, Pope Francis officially declared Mikey's cure a miracle attributed to Fr. McGivney, opening the path for his beatification later that year.
The Schachles say that their experience taught them to trust in God through even the most dire of circumstances, and that the family is a gift beyond any measure.
DANIEL AND MICHELLE SCHACHLE
“You have 13 children the world will tell you that you can't feed all these kids, and I believe them, I believe that I can't. But I believe God can. So you get to a point where it's like, I know I can't do this on my own, I have to trust God and stay close to Him, so you start thinking of things in that realm, or that paradigm.”
Six years later Mikey Schachle continues to spread his love and joy with those around him—a reminder that miracles do happen.
JM
