‘That Mom Hug Repaired Me Too’: After Open-Heart Surgery, a Mother Finally Holds Her Baby Again

After days of watching machines keep her 5-month-old son alive following open-heart surgery, this mom finally got to hold her baby again.

Renata says the hug she thought Juan Diego needed ended up healing part of her, too.

Juan Diego’s parents came from Mexico to Houston searching for the specialized care that could save his life. On Aug. 28, surgeons stopped his tiny heart and used a machine to circulate his blood while they repaired the serious congenital heart problems he was born with.

For hours, his mom and dad could do nothing but wait.

Then, after several days of watching him surrounded by tubes, wires, and the aftermath of surgery, Renata was finally told she could pick him up.

She admits she was scared. There were so many lines coming from his little body, his surgical wound, and the fear that simply holding him might somehow hurt him.

Doctors told her the contact would be good for Juan Diego.

So she did it.

And then came the part that stayed with her.

“That mom hug, I didn’t know it was going to repair me too.”

That is a mother who has spent days afraid of what might happen to her baby, finally getting to feel him against her again.

Juan Diego still has healing ahead. But this is one of those moments worth celebrating.

Last week, people prayed that his heart would beat after surgery and that his parents would get to see their baby again.

Today, his mom is holding him.

Please keep praying for Juan Diego’s recovery, for his surgical wound to heal, and for Renata and José Pablo as they keep walking this long road with their son.

Sources: Update from Renata Mackissack, mother of 5-month-old Juan Diego; family fundraising and local coverage in the Laredo Morning Times describing the infant’s congenital heart disease, travel for specialized care, and open-heart surgery on Aug. 28, 2026.