1. The Smell Of Rain A cold March wind danced around Dallas as the doctor walked into Diana Blessing's small hospital room. It was the dead of night and she was still groggy from surgery. Her husband, David, held her as they braced themselves for the latest news. That rainy afternoon, March 10, 1991, complications had forced Diana, only twenty-four weeks pregnant, to undergo emergency surgery. At twelve inches long and weighing only one pound, nine ounces, Danae Lu arrived by cesarean delivery. They already knew she was perilously premature. Still, the doctor's soft words dropped like bombs.
I don't think she's going to make it,
he said as kindly as he could.
There's only a 10 percent chance she will live through the night. If by some slim chance she does make it, her future could be a very cruel one.
Numb with disbelief, David and Diana listened as the doctor described the devastating problems Danae could face if she survived. She would probably never walk, or talk, or see. She would be prone to other catastrophic conditions from cerebral palsy to complete mental retardation, and on and on. Through the dark hours of morning as Danae held onto life by the thinnest thread, Diana slipped in and out of drugged sleep. But she was determined that their daughter would live to be a happy, healthy young girl. David, fully awake, knew he must confront his wife with the inevitable. David told Diana that they needed to talk about funeral arrangements. But Diana said,
No, that is not going to happen. No way! I don't care what the doctors say, Danae is not going to die. One day she will be just fine and she will be home with us.
As if willed to live by Diana's determination, Danae clung to life hour after hour. But as those first rainy days passed, a new agony set in for David and Diana. Because Danae's underdeveloped nervous system was essentially
raw,
the least kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn't even cradle their tiny baby. All they could do, as Danae struggled beneath the ultraviolet light, was to pray that God would stay close to their precious little girl. At last, when Danae was two months old, her parents were able to hold her for the first time. Two months later, she went home from the hospital just as her mother predicted, even though doctors grimly warned that her chances of leading a normal life were almost zero. Today, five years later, Danae is a petite but feisty young girl with glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for life. She shows no sign of any mental or physical impairment. But that happy ending is not the end of the story. One blistering summer afternoon in 1996 in Irving, Texas, Danae was sitting in her mother's lap at the ball park where her brother's baseball team was practicing. As always, Danae was busy chattering when she suddenly fell silent. Hugging her arms across her chest, Danae asked her mom,
Do you smell that?
Smelling the air and detecting a thunderstorm approaching, Diana replied,
Yes, it smells like rain.
Danae closed her eyes again and asked,
Do you smell that?
Once again her mother replied,
Yes, I think we're about to get wet, it smells like rain.
Caught in the moment, Danae shook her head, patted her thin shoulder and loudly announced,
No, it smells like him. It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest.
Tears blurred Diana's eyes as Danae happily hopped down to play with the other children before the rain came. Her daughter's words confirmed what Diana and the rest of the Blessing family had known all along. During those long days and nights of the first two months of her life, when her nerves were too sensitive to be touched, God was holding Danae on his chest, and it is His scent that she remembers so well. © 1999 Nancy Miller Verified as true by Truth and FictionClick here to find excerpts from Diana Blessing's response to their query.You will have to then do their search for Diana Blessing.
The Smell of Rain,
an Inspirational Story about a Premature Baby-Truth! Summary of eRumor: The story of Diana and David Blessing and their daughter, Danae, born when Diana had been pregnant for only 24 weeks. (Read the entire piece below.)The Truth: This is one of the most widely circulated inspirational stories on the Internet and one of the most commonly forwarded to us. TruthOrFiction.com has been in contact with the Blessings who confirm that the story is true and that now 9 year-old Danae is doing wonderfully.Here are excerpts from Diana Blessing's message to us on 8/21/00:
Yes, the story known as THE SMELL OF RAIN is true.
The original title is 'Heaven Scent'. About 5 years ago now, the C.E.O. of Columbia hospitals decided to compile some of the wonderful stories that he had received and put them into a book formatted similar to the 'Chicken Soup' series. This book was titled 'Miracles In Our Midst.' Danae's story was submitted and picked in rough draft written by my mother. The 'writers' then called and interviewed me, finalizing the story from this interview. When the book was released, he decided to use his, 'favorite story' to promote the book on the internet. It happened to be Danae's story. People then began the long journey that has now revolved over and over all around the globe as they took that little story and forwarded it to their friends and loved ones. The story has been in numerous church newsletters, two magazines and has most recently been published in the latest 'Chicken Soup' book titled 'Chicken Soup For The Christian Family Soul.'
Danae is now a lively, beautiful, active, free-spirited, blissful, God-loving fourth-grader. She is in the Gifted and Talented program. Still petite, but growing daily. She loves to play 'active' sports. Soccer, softball, basketball. She had taken gymnastics and loved it. Especially the fact that she shares a birthday with Shannon Miller, but decided to stick with the more aggressive sports. She swims like a little fish. Loves all animals. Has several of her own.
Danae has a compassion for other people that I have never witnessed with another child and I work with children daily. She is a pure joy to be around and is NEVER at a loss for words. When I first began getting response from the story I was startled. I quickly realized that God was working his magic. I praised him for allowing me to be blessed in such a way that I see his well doings each and every day. My husband and I decided that if sharing Danae's story touched even one person, than that is what was meant to be. I know now that it has touched many, many and continues everyday. I am so grateful to know the Lord and to have him so evident before us. I am also thankful for the widespread response and blessings from so many of the people that have received the story and have been touched by it. Hopefully it will continue to spread the news of God's love.
I knew when I first saw Danae that she could not and would not be contained. She screamed to be shared. We couldn't walk in the grocery store without someone commenting about her. So, I painfully acknowledged the fact that she would not be mine alone. Danae has a lot to give. This story is only the beginning.
Thank you for taking the time to verify the truth. I am excited to imagine all the lives that will be touched even now that they know it is true!Sincerely, Diana Blessing-Luckiest Mom on Earth! Trinity November 2009