Story of the Week: Miracle Millie

In this week’s story, we’ll see how God came through in the life of one child.

Each of us has a story. This year, as a church community, we’re diving deep into the story of Jesus and how He changes our lives. We’re calling it a Year of Story, and we’re sharing 52 stories from the Woodmen community. In this week’s story, we’ll see how God came through in the life of one child.

Robbi-Anne and Scott Strauss were filled with joyful anticipation for their second daughter. Early on, all signs pointed to a healthy pregnancy. But at the 12-week scan, everything changed.

Doctors discovered a large cyst on the baby’s head — the result of a hole that developed during early brain formation. The concern wasn’t just the cyst, but that her brain might begin to leak from her skull.

Doctors gently raised the option of terminating the pregnancy. But for Robbi-Anne and Scott, there was no question. Their daughter’s life already had purpose. She was a gift from God — and they would carry her, love her, and fight for her.

EMBERS OF HOPE

The months that followed were filled with fear, hope and prayer. Doctors warned that if the baby survived to delivery, she would likely be stillborn. And if she survived longer, her quality of life might be marginal. Still, Robbi-Anne and Scott chose hope. They trusted in the God who gave them this child.

They named her Millie. And from the start, she was full of life. In the womb, she was constantly kicking and rolling. Millie’s activity fanned the fragile embers of hope that the Strausses faithfully kept alight.

Every two weeks, they returned to the doctor’s office. They were never sure what news they would receive, but they hung on each moment spent gazing on the flicker of Millie’s heartbeat. “It was like this constant reminder from God,” Robbi-Anne shares. “A gift.” A new doctor joined their care team and offered fresh encouragement: “You don’t have to figure it all out right now,” he gently advised. “Let’s wait and see what happens.”

That simple shift in perspective opened a door to deeper trust in the Lord. There were still tearful drives to appointments, still days where words fell short. Yet they continued to believe that God was hearing every whispered plea.

“There was nothing else we could do,” Robbi-Anne says. “Only God could give her breath. All we could do was pray. I don’t think either of us had ever prayed harder or more authentically.”

HOME TO HEAL

Millie’s birth was scheduled as a C-section. In the operating room, the cyst suddenly ruptured. But instead of tragedy, this became an opportunity. The rupture meant that surgeons operated on Millie that night, accelerating her healing.

“She was a fighter from the beginning,” Robbi-Anne says. “Her lungs were strong.” Against all odds, Millie clung to life. The surgery was successful and soon after, the Strausses were released from the hospital. They came home to heal as a family.

A NEW BEGINNING

Today, Millie is two years old. She runs, laughs and plays like any other child. “If you met her, you’d never know what happened,” Robbi-Anne shares. The scar on the back of Millie’s head is the only visible reminder — and even that feels more like a badge of victory.

Shortly after Millie’s birth, the Strauss family moved to Colorado and found their way to Woodmen. It was a fresh start for Millie and the whole family. The church has become a place where she could grow up not defined by a diagnosis, but by the joy, strength and love that surrounds her.

Along the way, Scott and Robbi-Anne discovered the power of sharing their story in community. They’ve always been resourceful problem-solvers, but Millie’s story brought them to a place of surrender. They couldn’t fix what was broken on their own. All they could do was trust in the goodness of God.

Through nights of dread and tears, through the waiting and the wonder, the Strausses discovered that God was worthy. While He may not always answer prayers in the ways we desire, or heal this side of heaven, they found that the Lord welcomes our deepest prayers and heartfelt longings, even when everything seems out of control. “He can handle the hard,” Robbi-Anne says. “He holds it. And He held us.”

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