My First Miracle: The Power of Miracles

While My First Miracle is an entertaining film with an endearing message, it is not an edge-of-your-seat clincher, nor is it meant to be. It is more likely to make you reach for the Kleenex than it is to get your heart and adrenaline pumping. The 2015 film, starring Katya Martin as a 17-year-old cancer patient, does deliver for those interested in watching a heart-warming, moving drama (albeit at times sad and depressing).

Martin’s Angelica (“Jelly” to family and friends) is dying from Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a rare form of blood cancer that affects the bone marrow; however, she has one wish before that day arrives. She wants to fall in love and experience her first passionate kiss. However, because of her prognosis, a miracle would most likely have to occur in order for her wish to come true.

Sean (Julian Castano) is everything Angelica is not. He’s homeless, a runaway, a pickpocket, and a criminal, whose seemingly only redeeming quality is his soft spot for his little sister. In short, he’s probably the personification of everything she’s always been told to stay away from, but in reality, he’s everything she needs.

Complicating matters for Angelica is her parent’s financial situation. Chemotherapy is not a cheap procedure and the bills are piling up … so much to the point where her dad (Matthew Rauch) chooses to leave them unopened in the mailbox. Her mom (Valerie Cruz) works at a diner while her dad works on a construction crew, but is fired when he keeps falling asleep on the job. They’re short on money and hope and it may all be for naught as the likelihood of finding a bone marrow match is slim.

Sean the Bad Boy

Although I was not a fan of Sean’s bad-boy persona at first, he slowly grew on me. Previous to him running away, Sean and his sister were living with a foster family after he pushed his abusive father down a flight of stairs. He didn’t give the new family much of a chance, instead choosing to live on the streets and leaving his sister behind. When he occasionally calls to check in on her, he doesn’t have the courage to speak.

Whether it’s for pickpocketing, digging through the trash, or pushing his father down the stairs, Sean is constantly on the run from the police. It’s not clear what the police want to talk to him about because he never gives them the opportunity.

When Sean has a chance meeting with Angelica at the local hospital, he stops by periodically hoping to run into her. His visits brighten Angela’s day and make her smile, especially during her chemotherapy treatments. But she helps him too. As they became closer and their relationship develops, he starts to become a better person, more conscious of his actions. Feeling remorse, he returns a wallet to Angelica that he had previously pickpocketed from her dad.

Tommy and Charlie

Tommy (Elijah Jacob) is Angelica’s young friend, who is receiving chemotherapy for Leukemia. Although he might talk a little too much for her liking sometimes, he helps keep her mind off the treatments and pain. Like Angelica, his prospects are not good.

Charlie (Sean Patrick Flanery) is a homeless man that was previously involved in an accident that killed his wife and daughter. Since then, his life has been somewhat of a downward spiral. He’s resorted to busking on the sidewalks to make a few dollars and started drinking again. He witnesses Sean pickpocket a person, but later has enough sympathy to share his makeshift home with him when the weather gets colder.

The Three Miracle-Makers

Sean, Tommy, and Charlie each have something to do with the different miracles at the end of Angelica’s story. Although the movie begins with her asking for her first miracle – to find love and experience her first kiss – it’s the miracles that these three perform in the film’s waning moments that will tug at your heartstrings.

I could ruin the story for you and tell you what they do, but I won’t. It’s worth it to find out on your own. Just make sure you’re in the right mindset.

If you could perform one miracle for someone you know, what would it be? Let us know what you think.

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To learn more about My First Miracle and its upcoming airtimes on Inspiration TV click here