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GLADEWATER, Texas — There are more than 450,000 people praying for the Brown family.
Some of them are friends of the Texas family, but most are strangers. They hail from Arkansas, Michigan or California. Some are serving their country in Kuwait or Afghanistan. They are Protestant, Catholic, or Mormon, or not very religious at all. But they all have been united by a single story that has pierced hundreds of thousands at the heart: that of the Brown family.
"At 34 weeks pregnant, while her husband, Sean was in Afghanistan, Heather slipped into a coma and the baby was taken by emergency C-Section," reads a Facebook page the family uses for updates. "This is their story."
It's a tragic story, to be sure, but one that is full of love and courage. Heather Brown went to the hospital with headaches on Sept. 15 while her husband was serving in Afghanistan. While there, she started having seizures and slipped into a coma.
Her baby, John Michael, was delivered via C-section at 34 weeks. Sean Brown was already on a plane from Afghanistan.
John Michael went home with his dad on Oct. 5, weighing just five pounds but healthy. And on Tuesday, Heather was free of infection and John Michael's immune system was strong enough, so Sean took the baby to see his mom for the first time.
"When he placed me there, my Mommy, who has been sleeping since the day I was born, 5 weeks ago, opened her mouth and began sobbing with joy because she was so happy I was there! She struggled hard to peek open her eyes and see my face," reads a Facebook post written from John Michael's perspective.
"Daddy took Mommy's finger and placed it into my hand and I squeezed it as tight as I could and Mommy began sobbing again because she was filled with joy!"
As of Thursday night, the page had nearly 386,000 "likes." As of Friday morning, that number was up to 455,000, and growing. "Prayers from So Cal," "Prayers from Richmond, Va.," "Prayers from Kokomo, Indiana," read the posts. "Prayers from Alaska," "Prayers from Georgia," "Prayers from Northern California."
The Browns call these strangers the "prayer warriors," and the more of them there are, the faster the Browns feel Heather will get better.
"My mommy is still resting and has lots of healing to do, but my Daddy said I am better medicine than any doctor can prescribe!" reads another post from John Michael's perspective. "Please continue to lift us up in prayer, we sure need it!"
