On November 5th, 2008, 14-year-old Chelsea Banton was fighting for her life at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina. Suddenly, something appeared that signaled to her mother, Colleen Banton, God had indeed heard her prayers and sent an angel to intercede on her behalf.
The startling image of an illuminated winged figure hovering in front of Chelsea’s hospital door was captured on the hospital security camera after Chelsea was taken off life-support.
The young girl had been admitted to the hospital once again, suffering from a horrific case of pneumonia on top of a lifetime of other severe health issues that had plagued her since birth, leaving her immune system severely compromised. She has battled countless infections, life-threatening viruses, fluid retention, shunt revisions, hydrocephalus, as well as bouts of depression.
However, after 7 long weeks in the hospital, the acute pneumonia had not responded to treatment and doctors feared that this time Chelsea’s immune system could no longer fight off the debilitating condition. It was just a matter of time before she would finally succumb to the stubborn infection.
“We had been praying every day, my oldest daughter and I and Chelsea,” Banton told the newspaper. “Praying for a miracle.”
The pneumonia spread from her left lung to her right lung. This progressed into sepsis and blood clots, staph infections, E. coli, a collapsed lung, and feeding problems.
In October, doctors once again attempted to take Chelsea off of the ventilator. Unfortunately, each time they tried Chelsea struggled to breathe.
On November 1st, Chelsea came off the ventilator and initially did well breathing on her own. However, the next day the teenager began having anxiety attacks with the oxygen mask over her face.
“I wanted to do what the Lord wanted me to do,” Colleen said. “And I really felt like I had her for 14 years, and if it’s time for her to go to heaven, then I know she’ll be healed.” Colleen at that point decided not to continue life support.
On November 5th, family and friends went to the hospital to visit Chelsea for what they believed to be the last time. Rather than witnessing a struggling Chelsea attempt to breath on her own, Colleen was witnessing a miracle.
A nurse practitioner ushered the stunned mom over to a nearby monitor, which displayed the door to the pediatric intensive care unit where her daughter was housed. “On the monitor, there was this bright light,” Colleen said. “And I looked at it, and said, ‘Oh, my goodness! It looks like an angel!‘”
Colleen immediately took out her cell phone and photographed the figure on the video footage, convinced that the figure was an angel who helped her daughter.
Three days after viewing the image, Chelsea went home. On Christmas day, 2008, the young girl turned 15. Chelsea lived on another 7 years before passing away in 2015, at the age of 21.
Recently, Colleen Banton recalled that incredible moment. “I said oh wow, that’s an angel and the nurse practitioner she’s standing there and she said I’ve been working here for 15 years and I’ve never seen anything like this.”
By now, doctors and nurses had gathered around the monitor while several other hospital staff members went to check on Chelsea. “About an hour later, we took the mask off and her stats were higher then they’d ever been, doctors and nurses were amazed.”
“I’ve never seen anything so bright, so beautiful,” Colleen recalls. “I don’t think I would have brought Chelsea home from the hospital if the angel had not appeared.”
This story syndicated with permission from My Faith News
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