PEORIA, Ill. — Fulton Joseph Hood has gone home to God. In a post on fultonjoseph.com, Royce and Elise Hood said a funeral service was celebrated Saturday, April 10, at St. Jude Church in Peoria.
Fulton had Potter’s syndrome, which means he didn’t have kidneys and there was very little, if any, amniotic fluid to surround him in the womb. Without that, the lungs don’t develop either and there were other complications. (See previous coverage here.).
People around the world had been praying for a miracle for the unborn child, who only had a 5% chance of surviving after birth.
The Hoods discovered that Fulton’s heart had stopped beating during an ultrasound on March 31, which was his due date. They went home to share the sad news with their children, Ava, 7, Gabriel, 6, Augustine, 4, Leo, 3, and Royce Aaron, 1, who had all been talking and singing to their little brother in the womb.
“Together as a family we cried, we prayed and we smiled thinking about all of the joy and blessings that Fulton had brought us,” Royce wrote.
Labor was induced on April 1, and Fulton was delivered at OSF Health- Care Saint Francis Medical Center at 12:50 a.m. on April 2, Good Friday. He weighed 2 pounds and 14.4 ounces and was 12.5 inches long.
“Fulton had the cutest little nose and chubby little cheeks. He was so precious,” Royce said, adding that the nurses helped the Hoods get footprints and make a little clay cast from his feet.
Father Patrick Henehan, pastor of St. Jude, came to pray and talk to the Hoods shortly after Fulton was born, and “His words, his blessing and his compassion were exactly what Elise and I needed in that moment,” Royce said. “We have been so blessed with such a wonderful faith community.”
Fulton’s older sister and brothers had a chance to meet him and spend some time together at the hospital, along with Elise’s parents and siblings, before it was time to say goodbye.
While the Hoods didn’t get the miracle they were hoping for, they got the miracle they needed, Royce wrote: “Fulton went from the womb to the arms of the Lord.”
They take comfort in knowing that God has a plan.
“Fulton’s life has already had such an incredible impact on countless people,” he wrote. “We pray his life and our story can lift up others and demonstrate the power of God’s love.”
That Fulton’s story should be fulfilled during Holy Week was an opportunity for immense grace, according to Royce.
“You see, we are confident in the greatest promise and greatest gift of all time, which is the Resurrection. While we mourn the loss of a son, we give thanks for the time we had with Fulton. He was a miracle,” Royce wrote.
“For every moment that we struggle, we find peace in our faith. I cannot stress enough how much prayer, fasting and love have helped us through this journey,” he said. “We thank you for your prayers.”
Jennifer Willems is assistant editor of The Catholic Post, newspaper of the Diocese of Peoria.