Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling. They find out that the new baby is going to be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sings to his sister in Mommy’s tummy.

The pregnancy progresses normally for Karen, an active member of the Panther Creek United Methodist Church in Morristown, Tennessee. Then the labour pains come. Every five minutes ... every minute. But complications arise during delivery. Hours of labour. Would a C-section be required? Finally, Michael’s little sister is born. But she is in serious condition. With siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushes the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary’s Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee.

The days inch by. The little girl gets worse. The paediatric specialist tells the parents, “There is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst.” Karen and her husband contact a local cemetery. They have fixed up a special room in their home for the new baby — now they plan a funeral.

Michael keeps begging his parents to let him see his sister. “I want to sing to her,” he says. Second week in intensive care. It looks as if a funeral will come before the week is over. Michael keeps nagging about singing to his sister, but kids are never

allowed in Intensive Care. But Karen makes up her mind. She will take Michael there. If he doesn’t see his sister now, he may never see her alive. — Rogerknapp.com