HOUSTON — When former Tablet journalist Melissa Enaje Rappa learned her unborn daughter had a rare genetic condition in early 2024, doctors warned the baby might not survive. Instead of giving up hope, she chose to trust in God’s plan.
That faith — and the two months she spent with her daughter Isabella — carried her through the most extraordinary journey of her life.
Enaje Rappa, 38, received the news at the end of her first trimester. Routine bloodwork showed a high risk for Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards Syndrome — a rare chromosomal condition that can cause severe developmental delays and life-threatening complications in infancy.
“I just remember bawling,” she said. “I was still trying to process being pregnant for the first time, and now I was processing this. But I kept telling myself, ‘God will have the final word.’ ”
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Although physicians explained that many babies with the condition do not survive and that some parents outside of her home state of Texas (where abortion is illegal) may consider termination, Rappa said her Catholic faith made her decision clear.
“I couldn’t play God,” she said. “I just knew I had to surrender and trust that whatever happened, it would be his will. I wanted Isabella to write her own story.”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Isabella’s condition, Enaje Rappa said she approached each day of pregnancy as a blessing — celebrating every checkup and every day that went by as a milestone.
She also drew strength from the sacraments. Attending Mass became a profound source of hope — especially when receiving the Eucharist.
“Every time I received the Eucharist, I prayed, ‘Lord, let this nourish Isabella too,’ ” she said. “The Eucharist is what sustained her. His body and blood were feeding her through me.”
On Oct. 20, 2024, she was induced at Texas Children’s Hospital. After a long labor, doctors decided a cesarean section would be the safest delivery option.
When Isabella finally entered the world, there was silence for a moment — and then a cry.
“That’s all I prayed for,” Enaje Rappa said. “Just to hear her cry. In that moment, I knew I had witnessed a miracle.”
Her husband, Anthony Rappa, stood by her side every step of the way.
She said her husband’s strength, humility, and protection remind her so much of her favorite saint, St. Joseph.
“My husband is such a soldier,” she said. “He watched the whole thing — he didn’t hide behind the curtain. It was a miracle to see her, and he was right there with me.”
St. Joseph’s intercession has been a constant source of hope throughout Enaje Rappa’s life. Her devotion to him began years ago, when she started asking the saint for help in finding her spouse.
She later met Rappa, and the two were married at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, where she worked as a journalist for The Tablet.
“I used to tell people, ‘That’s my boy, St. Joseph,’ ” she said with a laugh. “I prayed to him for years, and he led me straight to my husband.”
After the birth, the couple spent the next several weeks at Texas Children’s Hospital, where Isabella received care in the neonatal intensive care unit.
For Enaje Rappa, those days were sacred.
“Having your baby in the NICU is a whole different experience,” she said. “You grieve normalcy. You grieve joy. But [the NICU] was my lifeline to mothering her.”
Each day brought a small but meaningful routine: pumping milk, visiting Isabella at her bedside, and cherishing the moments when she could hold or feed her. She credits the doctors, nurses, and volunteers — especially a photographer who came every Thursday to take pictures of families — for helping her preserve the memories of her daughter’s life.
Enaje Rappa found purpose in providing breast milk for her daughter, seeing it as a natural extension of her motherhood.
Isabella lived in the NICU for two precious months before she passed away on Christmas Day.
“The best way I can describe it is that she went from my loving arms to the arms of Our Father,” Enaje Rappa said. “There was peace in knowing she’s with Jesus.”
She continued to pump for more than six months, donating her milk to other mothers and babies in need through the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas. Through that process, she found healing and purpose — channeling her grief into giving.
“So many women thanked me because their babies needed donor milk. I just felt like this was the most natural thing for me to do,” she said. “When that journey ended, it felt like another part of my motherhood was gone forever. But Isabella taught my body something that is never going to go away.”
Enaje Rappa formed a close bond with the Mothers’ Milk Bank community, and the group shared her and Isabella’s story in a tribute Facebook post for Isabella’s first heavenly birthday.
She decorated her last donation box in memory of her daughter, marking the end of her milk donation journey, which totaled 2,631 ounces.
As she grieved, Enaje Rappa began writing again — returning to her blog, The M Report, which she originally launched in college. What started as a creative outlet became a safe haven to process the highs and lows of her pregnancy, honor her daughter’s life, and spread awareness for Edwards Syndrome.
She also worked on her book, “You Got This: How Your Greatest Test Will Become Your Greatest Testimony, One Woman’s Short, Faith-Filled Memoir of Navigating High-Risk Pregnancy and Not Losing Hope,” which she has already completed and plans to publish by Christmas.
“I wanted to be for other women what I didn’t have for myself,” she said. “If the Lord chose me to walk through this, then I’m going to use Isabella’s story to help bring hope to others.”
Enaje Rappa’s faith and devotion to St. Joseph were further cemented after Isabella’s passing. When her home parish in Texas couldn’t host the funeral Mass due to unforeseen circumstances, another church could: St. Joseph Catholic Church.
Isabella’s nameplate at her final resting place bears a butterfly — a symbol of new life — and an image of St. Joseph holding the baby Jesus.
“It says ‘From hero, to angel,’ because she is our hero forever,” Enaje Rappa said. “She showed me what strength, courage, and resilience look like in that tiny, little body.”
The miracle of her daughter’s brief but powerful life continues to guide her forward.
“With God, nothing is impossible,” she said. “Motherhood comes in so many forms — and even in sorrow, it’s still sacred. That’s the creative mercy of God.”