Eliot was born with an undeveloped lung, a heart with a hole in it and DNA that placed faulty information into each and every cell of his body. However, that could not stop the living God from proclaiming Himself through this boy who never uttered a word. --Introduction to the 99 Balloons video story of Eliot Mooney, who outlived predictions to spend 99 precious days on this earth.
My friend Travis Terral forwarded me an email yesterday:
"If there was ever a time to watch the Oprah Winfrey show, tomorrow (Tuesday) would be the day. The show is on Miracle Children and my niece Ginny and her husband Matt were interviewed about their son Eliot's 99 days on this earth and the impact that his life had on people all over the world. Check your local listings if you want to watch. I would advise you to get your Kleenex out."
I had the privilege of knowing this story from the very beginning, through knowing close relatives of Matt & Ginny Mooney, who knew in advance of their son's being born that he suffered a chromosome disorder known as Trisomy 18. Abortion was never a consideration.
Later, after little Eliot's time here was done and the wounds had time to heal, Matt was gracious enough to write an article for Crosswalk about some of the personal things he was going through in his Christian walk. You can read that article, "A Father's Contempt for the Commonplace," here.
The video of their story, 99 Balloons, has been so widely circulated over YouTube that you've probably seen or heard of it. If not, click here.
Their inspiring story has also found its way to our site in the form of daily devotionals, like this one from HomeWord's Kelly McFadden.
Now, this afternoon on Oprah, the Mooneys and several others will get the chance to share stories of Miracle Babies like Eliot.
Check your local listings, tune in, enjoy, cry, and praise. And rejoice with the good news Matt & Ginny have to share...