Joe and Katie Gleichman often describe their life together as an adventure. But nothing compared to the journey that led them to their daughter, Eleanor Jo. She was born in August 2016, a moment of joy that came only after heartbreak, fear, and an unwavering reliance on faith. The couple married in 2013, knowing children were part of their dream. Katie had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, a condition that can complicate fertility, so they prepared for a long road ahead. To their surprise, pregnancy came quickly. In May 2014, they learned they were expecting a little girl. They named her Alayna Mae.
At 19 weeks, though, their world collapsed. A routine scan revealed Alayna’s heart had stopped beating. Later tests confirmed she had Down syndrome. Katie remembers the shock as paralyzing. “We never expected it,” she would recall. “It was the kind of pain that marks you forever.” In the aftermath, Katie and Joe wrestled with grief and fear. Conceiving again seemed impossible. And yet, their desire for a family never left. “On our own, we knew we couldn’t make it,” Katie admitted. “But with faith, prayer, and support from family and friends, we decided to try again.”
By December 2015, they were expecting once more. Joy was tempered by anxiety. Every week felt fragile, as if disaster could strike again. “We wanted to trust God fully,” Katie said, “but being human, fear always lingered.” The 19-week scan became their personal finish line. Passing that milestone, where they’d once lost Alayna, might finally mean safety. Relief washed over them when they saw their baby’s heartbeat strong and steady. Still, Katie’s intuition nagged. Something felt wrong.
Her instincts proved correct. Their doctor explained that the baby, Eleanor, had bilateral clubfeet and possible chest concerns. Soon after, specialists confirmed more troubling news: clenched fists, spinal curvature, low-set ears, and, most alarmingly, a bell-shaped chest so small it might prevent her lungs from developing. Some doctors said she might not live beyond seconds. Others questioned whether she would be “compatible with life.”
Termination was offered at 26 weeks. For Joe and Katie, it was never an option. “Our faith was greater,” Katie said. “We couldn’t give up on her.” Still, the reality was crushing. By 37 weeks, the couple began planning a funeral. Katie even contacted a photographer who specialized in memorial sessions. “I wanted every moment captured,” she said. “Every memory, even if short.” The night before the scheduled C-section, Katie lay in Eleanor’s nursery, reading and praying aloud. She thanked God for the ten months they’d already been given. “It was the darkest night of my life,” she admitted, “but also the closest I’d ever felt to God.”
The next day, August 25, 2016, was filled with silence and dread. A worship song, “Thy Will,” played on the radio as they parked at the hospital. Katie saw it as a message: a reminder to trust, even if it meant letting go. Then, at 4:05 p.m., the unthinkable happened as another song—“Oceans”—played in the operating room. Eleanor cried. A sound they were told they would never hear. The medical staff, prepared for silence, was stunned. Katie’s doctor shrugged at the neonatologist as if to say, of course—God still works miracles.
Against all odds, Eleanor not only survived but thrived. She spent ten days in the hospital, needing oxygen only for the first few hours. Doctors ran test after test, amazed at her progress. When she went home, her parents knew they had been given the gift they prayed for. Eleanor’s journey hasn’t been easy. She’s since been diagnosed with Arthrogryposis and a rare condition called Sheldon-Hall Syndrome. She’s endured surgeries, casts, and therapies. But her lungs—once the most significant concern—have never failed her. She breathes strongly, scoring nearly perfect oxygen levels.
Katie and Joe see her as living proof of faith in action. “Why us? Why her?” they often ask. But their answer constantly circles back to the same truth: Eleanor’s story was meant to reach others. To remind believers not to lose hope. To nudge doubters toward faith. To show that even in suffering, miracles can bloom. In 2018, the Gleichmans welcomed another daughter, Josie Mae, completing their family of three girls. Looking back, they see not only pain but also purpose. “Sometimes the miracle isn’t just the outcome,” Katie reflected. “It’s the journey—the strength, the faith, and the love that grows along the way.”
