A premature baby born at 23 weeks is now a linebacker in the winning team of the 2026 Super Bowl.
Derick Hall, an NFL player for the Seattle Seahawks who played a key role in its victory last weekend, started life without a heartbeat and was given one per cent chance of survival at birth. Weighing under 3 lbs, he was put on life support at Memorial Hospital in Gulfport, and his mum was told that it was very unlikely he would ever walk or talk.
But at 6 ft. 3 in. tall, the player is now a founder of the One Percent Foundation, which supports families with premature babies.
One per cent
Mum Stacy Gooden-Crandle explained that when her son was born the doctors encouraged her to sign a ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ form, but she refused: “We decided we wanted to fight for him. I had to give him a chance.”
Hall stated after the Super Bowl: “Everyone knows my story, what it took for me to get here, what it took for me just to be alive and have the chance.”
He described himself as “very blessed” and thanked his mother, saying: “I feel like she’s an unsung hero, an unsung warrior through this whole process. She always fought for me. She never gave up.”
‘Life is a gift’
In January, tens of thousands joined the annual US March for Life, declaring ‘life is a gift’.
President of March for Life, Jennie Bradley Lichter, described the theme as “an invitation to everyone to be swept up into a movement that transcends politics and celebrates joy, beauty and goodness of life.”
The rally, which culminates outside the US Supreme Court, has been hailed as the largest annual human rights demonstration in the world.
Preemie mum thanks hospital staff for saving both their lives