New Year's is a time when even skeptics make wishes and believe they will come true, and hope for a miracle reappears in the soul. Here are 7 New Year's stories about incredible coincidences and how one can create magic with their own hands.
Real miracles and magic happen to those who believe in them and are capable of good deeds, just like in the story of "The Twelve Months". But there are also inspiring examples in real life that instill hope and faith in a better future.
"Doctor Peter" shares 7 real New Year's stories that do not involve fairy godmothers and magic wands. They are about people who maintain their spirit, are capable of love, and show compassion.
Light That Heals Hearts
In a small town in Texas, spouses Mark Cornetti and Nashel Joules transform their home into a shining Christmas palace every year. They decided to bring joy to others when Nashel was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease that worsens in the cold — CAPS. "Many things that people enjoy during New Year's are unavailable to me, and that upsets me," Nashel said. Moreover, the disease affected her heart, leading to stage three heart failure.
The couple decided: "If we can't go out to people, let people come to us. Decorations are our way of sharing warmth, even when it's hard for us." The bright lights of their home became a symbol of hope — people come here even from afar. At the entrance, Nashel set up a QR code with information about cardiovascular diseases from the American Heart Association to raise awareness about them, along with a donation box for people with severe pathologies that is never empty.
A Chocolate Bar from Mom
After her mother's death, Rochella O'Neil couldn't imagine New Year's Eve without their little tradition — sharing a huge chocolate bar with each other on the festive night. While shopping for groceries before the holiday, Rochella walked past the candy display with pain, unable to buy a chocolate bar just for herself.
It was her first New Year without a loved one. Sitting in the car, the woman quietly said, "How I wish I could feel my mom beside me this New Year..." Just as Rochella was about to drive away, she suddenly saw something shining in a nearby abandoned shopping cart. Approaching it, she froze: there lay a large chocolate bar — exactly like the one she and her mom always ate on New Year's.
Local Celebrity
59-year-old Nancy Van Din Hoven from Wisconsin was hospitalized with severe COVID in mid-autumn. The woman did not suffer from serious illnesses, and doctors thought she would spend no more than a week in the hospital. But everything turned out differently.
Nancy's condition worsened; she was intubated and placed on a ventilator. For a month and a half, the woman was unconscious.
"I don't remember much of the bad stuff, and that's actually great, but in the end, I made it out," Nancy says.
She spent 84 days in the hospital, became a local celebrity there, and celebrated her anniversary right in the ward — her family sang songs to her via video call, as visits were prohibited.
"What she went through was sheer hell, and it's a miracle that even with the most severe form of COVID, she was able to survive," the doctors say. "Nancy's determination and willpower played a huge role in her recovery." She was discharged home just in time for New Year's. She has fully recovered.
A Delay That Saved a Life
Nurse Roberta Messner was on duty on New Year's Eve, although she had planned to attend a party at her friend's house. Roberta agreed to cover for a colleague — a single mother who really wanted to celebrate the holiday with her son.
The shift was a nightmare, and when Roberta finally arrived at her friend's house, the guests had already left. "Why did I come?" she thought sadly. Suddenly, from the threshold of the neighboring house, a cry rang out: "Help! My wife is dying!" An elderly neighbor was calling for help. His wife lay unconscious on the living room floor, cold and clammy to the touch. Roberta immediately understood the problem — insulin shock, hypoglycemia. The man admitted that he had the medication but didn’t know how to use it. Roberta administered an injection to the woman, and within a few minutes, she regained consciousness.
"Thank goodness you came so late!" Roberta's friend later said when she visited her. "Sometimes the right action changes everything, even if you don't see it right away."
Reunion on the Holiday
75-year-old Dixon Handshaw from Rochester had always considered himself the only child in the family. He knew he was adopted and eventually decided to find his relatives. It turned out he had biological siblings, but he was very worried: would they be happy to see him?
The first call to his brother was nerve-wracking: "Is this Gary? I'm your brother Dixon." There was silence in response, followed by tears. They met at the airport right on New Year's Eve, with hugs, laughter, and recognition... "This is my New Year's miracle," Dixon says. At the festive table, he felt for the first time that he was not alone. His family grew by 55 people in an instant.
The Tablecloth Found by Love
Roberta Samper's husband from Dolgeville has been battling dementia for many years. He forgets faces, cannot read, use a phone, or a credit card. One New Year's Eve, while browsing holiday catalogs, Roberta saw a beautiful tablecloth that she would love to lay on the festive table. Unfortunately, the item had already sold out.
How surprised she was when under the tree among the New Year's gifts, she found that very tablecloth. "Somehow my husband found the right catalog, the right tablecloth, called the company, and convinced them to find the item and send it to us. I don't know how he did it, but it was the best gift of my life," the woman said.
A Photograph from 'Heaven'
Dale Victory from Florida lost her only daughter in a car accident. The most precious photograph — the one where she is captured with her three-year-old daughter — had disappeared without a trace. She could not find it anywhere.
But one day on New Year's Eve, Dale opened an old book — and out fell that very picture. The woman is sure it was not a coincidence. "I know my daughter sent this to me as a gift from heaven," Dale says.
Do you have stories about New Year's miracles and magic?
