Last September, little 3-year-old Oluchi Nwaubani's life was almost cut short when she fell into a freezing pool in London, and was submerged for nearly 20 minutes. After being rescued, doctors held little hope for her survival, let alone any recovery.

Tests and brain scans showed Oluchi had been deprived of oxygen for 18 minutes—about 3 times the viable limit. They told the girl's distraught parents that they'd never seen a child "pull through" who had been underwater that long, and that if by some chance she did hang on, she would be in a "vegetative state."

But Toya and Junior, Oluchi's parents did not allow their faith to be shaken. They told the doctors, "Nevertheless, you need to know that we are Christians and we believe in a God who can do the impossible." (Photo: CBS News)

Initially, the toddler was unable to breathe on her own, and little brain activity was seen on the monitors. However now, about 5 months since the accident, Oluchi has made an almost complete recovery.

Dr Vinay Nadkarni, of the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia—while admitting that the way Oluchi has improved to nearly a normal state is "almost a miracle"—gave an explanation: the "diving reflex." He told CBS News, "Some young children, particularly babies, have a special reflex that they had when they were in utero called the diving reflex. It essentially slows the body's metabolism down to almost nothing, so they almost need no oxygen for the brain cells to survive."

"She's still on a road to recovery," noted Toya. "I've said it's not a miracle instantly; it's a miracle over time."

To watch the CBS News video report on this, access the source link provided.

used by permission www.breakingchristiannews.com / Source: Sheila MacVicar - CBS News
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/11/earlyshow/main4792234.shtml