Miracle in the Making

Baby Harley’s

Curly auburn hair, delightful blue eyes and chubby little cheeks only begin to describe the delightful face of baby Harley. Like all parents, mom, Alyssa, and dad, Aaron (Spicer) treasure each smile and celebrate every milestone their 16-month-old baby girl makes. The difference lies in the fact that Harley has been on what her mom describes as a ‘healing journey’ after experiencing a ruptured brain aneurysm in her Basilar artery followed by 2 brain bleeds, a stroke, hydrocephalus, and vasospasm – all before her first birthday which was celebrated a few weeks later in the PICU.

Harley ‘s routine medical checkup in February of 2026 showed no signs of any problems whatsoever. Her development was normal and she was on track physically and cognitively and the Spicer family was enjoying their recent transition from Nashville, TN, to Jena, busy building their home and family. On May 2nd, everything changed.

“We have definitely been on a rollercoaster for the past five months. We went from having a totally healthy baby on May 1st to a baby who was fighting for her life on May 2nd,” mom Alyssa shared. “When she arrived at the PICU via helicopter, they called us and told us their findings...essentially telling us they didn’t think she would survive.’ Harley immediately went into emergency surgery.

Mom had noticed a few outward signs that something was amiss and quickly sought medical help. The aneurysm had not previously been detected and did not cause any major symptoms until it ruptured- that’s when it was discovered. The area of location in the brain was in a major artery that was surrounded by other major arteries making the surgery extremely complex and ‘risky’. The surgeon, Dr. Bowie, was very experienced and upfront with the Spicer’s as to the risk involved.

“This was a very complex surgery,” Alyssa said. ‘It went well, but following it Harley had vasospasms, which then caused her to have an ischemic stroke. What happened to her was so rare they couldn’t provide us with much information. The chances of a child having an aneurysm is 0.4-4%; Harley is the youngest patient her doctors have every personally seen.”

Mom described those days of challenge as being filled with ‘a lot of uncertainty’ and feeling as if they ‘were in a dark room’ without answers. There were no other options for baby Harley but to have the lifesaving surgery, however the complications including the vasospasms and the ischemic stroke that ensued afterward left everyone with a multitude of unanswered questions and unknowns. Would she be able to breathe on her own? Would her vision be intact? Would she be capable of moving under her own power?

Harley’s healing journey began with one month in PICU at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital – during which she spent two weeks comatose and then undergoing six additional surgeries with what mom describes as ‘phenomenal doctors and nurses’. Once stabilized, she was transferred to Manning Family Children’s Hospital in New Orleans for patient rehabilitation by doing intensive rehab three hours daily. The doctor’s healing hands and the wonders of medical science gave Harley a chance – but far beyond that, the Spicer’s know and understand there was a Higher Power guiding those hands and bringing about the miraculous for their baby girl.

“Harley is thriving now! Her doctors are absolutely blown away when we take her to appointments and she is moving, babbling, rolling...I don’t think I can fully capture the pain we experienced during this time but the joy we’ve experienced watching her heal and receive a miracle is far greater!”, mom said explaining that her therapy presently continues at Little Lights in Jena.

She continued, “Our faith has carried us through. When something bad happens, it truly shows you what you or your faith is rooted in. My husband and I stood firm in our faith...we know for a fact God caried Harley through this, and He still is.”

Several of Harley’s doctors have shared with the Spicer’s they see no logical explanation to her survival and have expressed confusion when reviewing her before surgery scans in comparison to her present recovery. The Spicer’s’ know that God’s hand was and is in the miraculous recovery. Local churches including their home church, First Baptist of Jena, have kept Harley on their prayers lists and have been faithful in supporting the family as they have navigated throughout the crisis and recovery. Other community members have lent support as well.

“Harley is one of the happiest little girls...she is so joyful and her personality has not taken long to return – like they originally thought it would. Physically she is progressing...when this first happened she couldn’t hold up her head, her whole body was stiff, and she couldn’t see or use the left side of her body at all,” mom shared. “Now she can almost sit independently, roll over, bear weight on her feet, and she is slowly regaining the use of her left side!”

Harley is a miracle in the making.

The Spicer’s express their hopes that no other family must face what they and Harley have experienced. They have watched their baby undergo altering life conditions being ‘poked, prodded, and having surgeries” due to the rare condition of the pediatric brain aneurysm. They encourage anyone facing such circumstances to hold firm in faith and heavily rely on support groups - family and church.

“We couldn’t have gotten through this without faith and support,” Alyssa shared. “The only thing that got us through is Jesus. He is always the answer. He can give you access to unwavering peace, that no one else can provide.”

Harley’s journey has created an awareness of pediatric brain aneurysms that mom hopes to share. She wants others to know that this condition often displays no symptoms until after the brain rupture has occurred. However, in some cases the following symptoms may surface: Nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, loss of consciousness or unresponsiveness, sudden seizures, sudden paralysis or difficulty breathing.

“If your family has a history of first-degree relatives with brain aneurysms, I would highly encourage getting your children an MRA,” she concluded. “Sometimes it hurts to know if Harley had one, we could’ve caught this, but we genuinely had no idea. I pray in the future they will continue to gain more knowledge and acquire more resources for pediatric brain aneurysms!”

Harley is a miracle child, and her miracle continues to emerge with each accomplishment. Her smile is infectious and her parents are so very thankful to hold their little miracle in arms of love and hearts filled with thanksgiving to God and those He used and continues to use to bring her miracle to past.