A baby reported dead at Santa Casa de Rio Claro (SP) showed vital signs again last Wednesday, July 15, surprising funeral director Regina Célia Paschoal. The professional reported having found Noah Gabriel da Cruz Santos moving inside the funeral bag, describing the situation as “a scare” and a “great emotion”.

Regina Célia Paschoal detailed that she noticed Noah’s movements inside the body bag, which was sealed with ribbons. She explained that, upon noticing something unusual, she promptly decided to open the packaging.

“I opened it and the baby started to move even more, it made a noise, he wanted to breathe”, said Regina about the moment of reunion with life.

Santa Casa de Rio Claro, in turn, guaranteed that there was no error in its procedures. The institution stated that all technical and legal protocols for confirming death were strictly followed.

The unexpected scare and great emotion experienced by the team

With almost two decades of career, Regina Célia Paschoal reported the novelty of the experience. “It was a shock, it was a great emotion to see that we went to look for a dead person and he was alive”, she said about the episode.

Matheus Batagello, Regina’s colleague, also witnessed the scene and acted quickly. He took charge of alerting a nurse about the baby’s signs of life.

The agent admitted that, at first, he considered the possibility of spasms. “I said [to the nurses], ‘man, I need you to go there and check it because it’s moving and it’s making a sort of hiccup, like it’s choking. So I need you to go there to make sure'”, said Matheus.

Noah’s mother’s happiness and statements

Letícia Cristina da Cruz Santos, Noah’s mother, shared the difficult experience of seeing her son lifeless, with purple color, before the miracle happened.

“We [are] contemplating the greatness of God and admiring our warrior who continues to fight to be well. We believe in our miracle completely […] a miracle cannot be explained, it can be lived”, expressed Letícia, visibly moved.

In a video shared on social media, the mother mentioned being in a state of ecstasy and anesthetized. “Sometimes I think we are dreaming, not just me, but I was talking to my husband just now inside the hospital, looking at him [Noah] and he was there moving, kicking his legs, with his eyes open. We are amazed”, narrated Letícia.

Letícia also emphasized the good care that Noah received during the 32 days of hospitalization at Santa Casa and ruled out any medical negligence. “I even saw the time of the incident, how the doctor looked, how hard she fought to try to revive him”, defended the mother.

Timeline and Details of Baby Noah’s Case

Noah was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) shortly after he was born, on June 15.

The baby was awaiting transfer to a specialized hospital outside Rio Claro, where he would undergo surgery. However, according to Santa Casa, his health condition worsened, resulting in a cardiorespiratory arrest last Wednesday, July 15th, the date on which he completed one month of life.

The hospital unit reported that cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers were promptly initiated and maintained for approximately 45 minutes, in accordance with the protocols of the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics. After attempts, death was confirmed late in the afternoon.

The hospital stated that, after the death was confirmed, the baby remained in the Neonatal ICU for around an hour for due legal procedures and support for the parents. He was then taken to another sector, awaiting removal by the funeral institution.

It is important to note that Santa Casa did not detail which criteria were used to officially declare the baby’s death.

Approximately two hours after the death was certified, the funeral home employee identified vital signs, immediately alerting the hospital team. The newborn was then reevaluated, readmitted to the Neonatal ICU and resumed intensive care.

However, it was not revealed which specific vital signs were detected by the funeral director.

On the morning of Friday, July 17, the baby was transferred to the Hospital for Rehabilitation of Cranio-Facial Anomalies at the University of São Paulo (USP), known as Centrinho, in the city of Bauru (SP). The transfer occurred through a vacancy that Noah was already waiting for to continue his treatment.

Clarifications and the official position of Santa Casa

In an official statement, Santa Casa de Rio Claro reiterated that all technical and legal protocols applicable to the verification of deaths were strictly followed.

The institution emphasized that it did not identify care failures or procedures that required review, based on the evidence available at the time of the declaration of death. The note highlights that “The Brazilian protocol for confirming death is recognized for its high rigor and safety.”

The hospital also highlighted that its Neonatal ICU has a specialized structure and a highly qualified team, including the responsible doctor, with 14 years of experience in neonatology.

Santa Casa declared that it respected the different interpretations of the episode and recognized the profound impact of the case on both the family members and the health professionals involved.

Santa Casa’s note concluded by reaffirming its commitment to science, ethics and transparency, characterizing what happened as an extraordinary event that left a deep mark on everyone involved.