In a quiet hospital room in Rhode Island nearly two decades ago, a doctor whispered a heartfelt prayer—one that would later be recognized as part of a Vatican-acknowledged miracle.
Now, that very moment is being hailed as the first miracle officially recognized during Pope Leo XIV’s papacy, and the first ever attributed to divine intervention in the state of Rhode Island.
The doctor behind that extraordinary moment, Dr. Juan Sánchez-Esteban, has now spoken out publicly for the first time since the miracle was confirmed.
A Doctor’s Faith Steps In When Medicine Had Reached Its Limits
Back in 2007, Dr. Sánchez-Esteban was working at Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
A newborn baby named Tyquan Hall had just arrived under distressing circumstances—emergency labor had been induced due to dangerously low fetal heart readings.
Despite every medical attempt to resuscitate him after birth, the infant’s heart stopped completely. Time passed.
There was no response. For nearly an hour, the medical team tried everything.
In a moment of total desperation, Dr. Sánchez-Esteban, a Spanish-born physician, turned away from medicine and reached inward—toward his faith.
A Statement of Reverence Without Naming Names
Now, years later, the doctor has broken his silence in a statement shared with DailyMail.com. Though he didn’t mention the baby or the miracle by name—likely due to privacy laws—his words were filled with deep emotion and gratitude.
“As a physician, I have the privilege of witnessing both the fragility and the incredible resilience of life,” he wrote.
“While I cannot speak about any individual patient, I understand that a recent recognition by the Vatican has brought comfort and meaning to many.”
He also spoke on behalf of the institutions involved: “At Care New England and Women & Infants Hospital, we are honored to be part of the stories that inspire hope…”
A Papal Confirmation and a Rhode Island First
Shortly after the doctor’s statement, the Vatican made it official—this was indeed the first authenticated miracle under Pope Leo XIV and the first ever recognized in Rhode Island.
Rev. Timothy Reilly from the Diocese of Providence shared how monumental this is, not just for the state but for the Catholic Church as a whole.
“This recognition moves the cause of beatification and canonization forward for Venerable Servant of God Salvador Valera Parra,” he said.
The event is already being called the Miracle at Memorial Hospital.
A 19th-Century Priest Answered a 21st-Century Call
So who was the priest at the center of this miracle?
Salvador Valera Parra, a 19th-century priest from Huércal-Overa in southern Spain, had never set foot in the United States.
He was known in his home region for caring for the sick during a brutal cholera epidemic—but until this moment, he had no miracle attributed to him.
According to Dr. Sánchez-Esteban, in that hopeless moment, he whispered a childhood prayer he remembered from Spain:
“Fr. Valera, I have done everything I can. Now it’s your turn.”
Then, something incredible happened.
The Baby’s Heart Started Beating Again
Within minutes of the prayer, a nurse alerted the team—Tyquan’s heart had suddenly started beating on its own.
The baby was quickly transferred to Women & Infants Hospital, where doctors feared he might suffer permanent brain damage due to the time his brain had gone without oxygen.
But instead, they witnessed something remarkable.
In just over two weeks, Tyquan began breathing without help.
Over the months that followed, he reached all his developmental milestones.
Today, he’s thriving. He plays sports, speaks, walks, and shows no signs of the injury that doctors had once braced for.
A Pathway to Sainthood Opens for Valera
For the Vatican, this event is far more than emotional—it’s official.
On June 20, the Catholic Church formally acknowledged the miracle, placing it alongside the recognition of 174 martyrs from the 20th century.
This recognition brings Salvador Valera one step closer to sainthood.
Now, only one more validated miracle stands between him and canonization.
The Irony of a Miracle in a Shuttered Hospital
Though the miracle brought life back into one family, the building where it happened no longer exists as it once did.
Memorial Hospital shut down in 2018 due to financial struggles, closing the doors on what had been a cornerstone of Rhode Island’s healthcare system.
Yet its legacy now lives on through something the Vatican is calling a miracle.
Pope Leo XIV: A Modern Voice for an Ancient Faith
The miracle also marks the beginning of Pope Leo XIV’s papacy with an act of divine wonder.
Born Robert Prevost in Chicago, he’s a former missionary in Peru who went on to head the Vatican’s office of bishops before being elected pope on May 8, following Pope Francis’s death.
Known for his Midwestern charm and even his love of Wordle, Pope Leo is seen as a bridge between tradition and progress—something reflected in his openness to modernizing how saints are canonized.
The Digital Generation’s Future Saint
Alongside Fr. Valera, Pope Leo is also advancing the cause of another remarkable figure: Carlo Acutis.
The British-born Millennial died in 2007 but left behind a legacy of faith and technology—he created a website cataloging Eucharistic miracles before his death from leukemia.
Carlo’s body now rests in a glass tomb in Assisi, miraculously incorrupt, according to reports.
If canonized, he would become the first Millennial—and the first tech-savvy saint—of the digital era.
A Moment of Faith That Still Echoes
From a whispered prayer in a Rhode Island hospital room to a declaration from the Vatican, this story is a reminder of how powerful moments of faith can be—even in the most unexpected places.
For one doctor, one baby, and one forgotten priest from Spain, that moment may have changed everything.
And now, as Pope Leo XIV sets the tone for a new era in the Catholic Church, the “Miracle at Memorial” is already being remembered as a spiritual milestone.