Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum
comic strip overdue media

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

A happy but bizarre happening in Paraguay

‘Dead’ baby wakes up for his funeral wake: Boy born 16 weeks premature taken home after being declared dead
The family was given a death certificate and a cardboard box with the baby's name scribbled on the outside which served as a makeshift coffin.

But when the family took him from the hospital to prepare him for his funeral, the unbelievable happened.

"I opened the box and took the baby out and he cried. I got scared and I said "the baby's crying" ... and then he started moving his arms, his legs and I got scared, we got very scared," said one member of the family, Liliana Alvarenga.

My own grandmother was thought to be stillborn when she was born, being blue and lifeless, but when someone moved her, she started breathing on her own. If that had not happened, I wouldn't exist. Life can be odd, and babies are remarkable creatures, aren't they? Anyway, I'm glad for this family--their sorrow turned to joy (with some fright in the interim).

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