By Mark Ellis —
No one guessed little Giselle had a heart problem until a routine doctor’s check-up at seven months old. But her short, joy-filled life ended with visions of Jesus and heaven, a comfort to those who loved her most.
“I don’t know why Giselle was born this way,” says Tamrah Janulis, Giselle’s mother. “That’s one of the questions I will ask God.”
At seven months, doctors discovered a congenital heart defect known as tetralogy of Fallot, the most common cause of blue baby syndrome. Tamrah and husband Joe were completely surprised when doctors informed them that Giselle lacked a pulmonary valve and arteries.
“I thought there was nothing wrong,” Tamrah recalls. “I wasn’t prepared. I was at the hospital and my world completely stopped. I was in shock, speechless.”
Some medical experts said Giselle — the youngest of four children — could live to be 30, others said she should not be alive at all.
Two months later, doctors performed heart surgery and discovered the connections between Giselle’s heart and lungs looked like “a bowl of spaghetti” or “a bird’s nest,” with small thread-like veins that had sprung up, attempting to compensate for the missing arteries.
After this surgery, experts recommended a variety of additional surgical options, some rare procedures considered risky.
Tamrah and Joe decided against further surgeries, but followed doctors’ prescriptions for a litany of medicines. “I gave her meds every other hour and shots twice a day,” Tamrah says. “I carried her everywhere and never let her out of my sight.”
A bright child, Giselle learned the alphabet at 10-months-old. “Nothing stopped Giselle,” Tamrah says. “She loved going to the zoo. She rode horses with me. She did everything.”
“We’re a very musical family and Giselle was always singing,” she adds.
As the months went by, Giselle’s hands, feet, and lips began to exhibit a slight bluish hue, telltale signs her heart
was not working properly.
After her second birthday, she had her first vision of Jesus. It happened in their family room, only a few weeks before her passing.
“Hey Jesus. Hi. Hi Jesus,” she said, to her mom’s surprise.
“What do you see, babe? Tamrah asked.
“Hi Jesus. Hi,” little Giselle continued, her eyes wide with delight.
“Where is He?
“Right there,” she pointed.
Giselle had at least two more visions of Jesus in the weeks before her graduation to heaven. One happened in the car while they were driving and another in a store.
One day in the car, Giselle began to spontaneously sing, “Rejoice! Rejoice! (E)mmanuel…” She had not learned to pronounce ‘E’s’ so it came out as ‘Manuel.’
“How does Giselle know that Christmas song?” sister Jolie Mae wanted to know.
According to Tamrah, Giselle had never heard the hymn before. Also, in the weeks leading to her passing, she would suddenly begin singing “Hallelujah” as she walked around the house.
Cindy Peterson, Giselle’s grandmother, believes the veil between heaven and earth was pulled back slightly, in preparation for her ascent to heaven. “She had a foot on earth and a foot in heaven,” Cindy believes. “She was joining with the worship in heaven.”
A week before her passing, Giselle was lying in bed, not feeling well. As Tamrah studied her daughter’s face, Giselle pointed up at a corner of the ceiling. “Hey horsey. Hi,” she said.
“Where’s the horsey?” mom asked.
“There…” she pointed.
She also pointed to a “kitty cat” but Tamrah is convinced she saw a lion, a glimpse of the wondrous menagerie of creatures inhabiting heaven.
A few days later, Tamrah and husband Joe still didn’t know her passing was imminent. But four days before the time, Giselle’s condition deteriorated.
“She was getting weaker and weaker,” Tamrah says. “Her hands and feet started tingling and the tissue started dying. Her feet, hands and lips were increasingly blue.
Little Giselle left this world March 24th, in her mother’s arms, at home. Joe was embracing both mother and daughter on their king-sized bed.
In the minutes before her home-going, Giselle let out a soft wail. Joe thought she was crying because she was going to miss her family.
“My miracle is that she lived as happy as she did,” Tamrah says. “Every day with her was like a miracle to me.”
“It gives me hope that she saw the Lord and she is in heaven with Him. I know she is up there and she is waiting for me.”
The song below was written and sung by Tamrah, accompanied by Joe
Related: Emma’s guardian angels
Little child identifies Man who says He’s coming soon
For the Burpo family, heaven is for real
This story touched my heart. I hope to meet Giselle when I get to heaven.
This has touched the deepest part of my soul. What a beautiful story, she’s now with THE LORD and I am sure she’s an encouragement for her family to seek to go to heaven.
Wow, it is awesome to be encouraged to live with such an expectation of going home to the Lord Jesus Christ. I long to be there with Giselle when time comes for me to be ushered home.
Stories like this lessen the gap between heaven earth. I, too, have a little sister waiting for me in Heaven, where she knows neither sickness nor death.
When I was 8 years old, the Lord Jesus called me in to my room from my playing outside as I entered my room I could see a hole in the conner of my ceiling where I could see Him sitting on His Throne in heaven and then He revealed Himself in Voice and then in Person sitting on my bed as He read scripture to me for about 5 min. and this happened over the next 15 days for about 5 min. a day, until the last time when He asked me if wanted to receive Jesus as my Savior. Yes I know that Giselle truly saw Jesus just as I did, and yes she is on His lap right now. You all will join her soon. REJOICE and again I say REJOICE ! ! I am sorry for your personal sorrow but she is very happy in her new home with Jesus and she has peace about you coming soon.
R E J O I C E in J E S U S with G i s e l l e — P E A C E
I am sobbing / I needed this so much. Thank u for sharing. I am humbled by your story . Xxx
Those of us who accepted JESUS as our LORD and Saviour, we all know that our real citizenship is heaven. We are all crying or sobbing when we read, how JESUS , truly loves the children. As the Holy Bible said the pure in heart will see GOD. Children are pure in heart and they see GOD. LORD JESUS, personally receiving Giselle and preparing her family for her going home to Heaven. Colton Burpo, the 4 year old who went with Jesus and came back because Jesus answered his dad’s fervent prayer. HEAVEN IS SO REAL. AND THOSE WHO WILL DIE WITH JESUS AS THEIR SAVIOUR WILL TRULY BE GOING HOME TO BE WITH OUR LOVING CREATOR, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND ALMIGHTY GOD. TO GOD BE THE GLORY. GISELLE, YOU ARE SO LOVED BY JESUS. I BET YOU ARE ENJOYING HIS HORSE AND ALL THE BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS IN HEAVEN AND HEAVEN IS SO BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE JESUS IS THERE.
She was indeed an angel.
Oh what an encouragement to know that this beautiful baby came and shared Jesus before she went back home. Love and prayers to the family.
I am so at peace with children having visitations from Jesus. 9 years ago, my, then 4 year old granddaughter, Lauren, chose heaven over earth. She had 4 heart surgeries since her birth and the last one was to be the one to give her a better life. Well, it did, but not exactly as we wanted.
Several times after one of her surgeries, she asked if we smelled Jesus. And in the months before she left us, her favorite song she sang over and over was “Who Am I”.
I am looking forward to seeing you again, Lauren Esther!
Absolutely beautiful Thank you for sharing your precious daughter with us . Although it was hard to let her go you did so superbly. She sounds like she was extra special, what a gift given to you. I am glad that one day you will all be together again. May you all be comforted in the days ahead by Our Father in Heaven. Sending blessings and prayers
My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone that knew and loved this precious angel. God shared one of his loving angels with you for a short while. How sweet and precious that she got to witness to you before she left this earth to return to her heavenly home. She was a blessing sent from God and He chose you as her parent. What a blessing knowing that God was with her before she went home and He was there to help her from this life to her new life in Heaven. I’m so sorry for your loss, I know you’re still hurting and probably in a tremendous amount of grief and pain. Just know she’s ok and not sick anymore. God is with her loving on her and taking care of her until she sees you again on the other side.
What a holy happy death! We must never fear leaving this earthy life but embrace it just as Giselle did. What a heartfelt story. Bless this family.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Who could be more pure in heart than a baby that has only recently left the Fathers presence in Heaven to live for a short time on earth.
Oh the joy to learn what we hope for is so much more wonderful than our imagination can conceive.
Our 10 yr. old daughter notice the photo of Giselle with her dad and noticed the cloud formation resembling them. (:
My prayers go out to you and your wonderful family. I have two daughters of my own and both my daughters always say dad we’ve never seen you cry. But when I saw Giselle’s sister Holly holding Giselle after her passing tears came to my eyes. Giselle is in heaven waiting for all of us.
John
Wow!!! How faithful and trustworthy our God is!!
This story is beautiful, but not unusual. There is a movie about a seven-year old boy named St. Marcellino pan y vino meaning bread and water. He was abandoned at the door of a monk monastery after birth. There was an old, large crucifix in the attic of the monastery. Jesus would come down from it and speak with Marcellino. The boy died in the arms of Jesus on a chair. True story. Get the movie and see for yourself. There is a feast every year to commemorate this miracle. The movie is called the” Miracle of St. Marcellino Pan y vino.
Yes saw that movie it was soooo good
Actually, Mae…..”pan y vino” is translated “bread and wine” which Marcelino brought to the man who came down from the cross to hold him and speak to him daily. Marcelino died after being stung by a scorpion. This movie is very moving at the end when they discover Marcelino’s body lying in the arms of Jesus.
What a comforting testimony about Jesus presence in our world for he said he would always be with us. I, too, lost my daughter. She was 9 years old and would have been 36 two days ago. I know she saw Jesus and knew her time was short here on earth. She left her good bye’s in one of her diaries which we found after her passing. Thank you for sharing this beautiful story.
Why did they deny a surgery? Was it too risky?
Yes, it was considered very risky.
The surgery was risky and the parents are the ones who decided that Giselle should not have it. They had no idea how long she had but I’m sure they didn’t want to lose her on the operating table.
A very touching story!
Jesus in all his Glory prepared Giselle for Heaven’s Love. Thank You for Sharing.
I am so moved by your love of your blessed gift from heaven, Giselle. She is your special angel now in heaven. Your song is glorious…and I am sure Giselle is singing it with the cherubim and seraphim and God is smiling. Thank you for sharing this with all the world.
God bless your family as you deal with the loss of your beloved child.
I love you very much Lord Jesus
Losing a child is the most difficult of all sorrows, but realizing that you have a saint in heaven helps reduce the pain. This story brought tears to my eyes also. God bless you and your family.
Tears streaming down my cheeks…
Oh! Lord Jesus help us not to be lost in this sinful earth. This message moved me and made me cry…I’m thanking the Lord for it
Since us adults are no longer pure and are unworthy to be with Him, the Lord is taking young children who are pure like He Is.
Jesus doesn’t take kids, we live in a fallen world, and stuff happens, john 10.10 says it all. God is the life giver… and as a believer I am just as pure as a young child, because it’s not based on what I did, but the great exchange and what Jesus purchased for us at Calvary..we are the righteousness of God in ChristJesus.. God bless
What a beautiful life and home going. When my late husband passed two years ago-just before his passing,he wanted to kiss me.He did very passionately about four or five times and then he went to his heavenly home.I still miss him so very much, but am grateful God gave me the blessing of his kisses before he went home. God is good and cares about our pain in our loss.
I just can’t stop tears flowing downmy eyes. It is tears of joy and the love Jesus Christ has for children. I pray to daily embrace such child-like faith. May the comfort of this experience rest with the parents. Amen
Thank you for all your kind comments. Your words of inspiration and love are helping to heal our hearts.
Feel free to see more of our family on my Facebook page…
https://www.facebook.com/tamrah.janulis
This story makes me FURIOUS AT THE ENEMY of Giselle and her family and EVERY Christian who has been denied this body of Christ member on earth.
The enemy comes NOT but for to steal KILL and destroy but IAM COMES TO GIVE LIFE and that we might have life more abundantly!!
May we never be satisfied until we are raising the dead, healing the sick, opening blind eyes and more as commanded by Jesus in Mark and spoken in Isaiah 61
My deepest sympathy to the family of this precious child.
Thank you for sharing the story of Giselle and for your beautiful song. I know that Jesus is blessing your family in your grief and that your family will continue to have many blessings through the years and that Giselle sends all of you so much love and will continue to do so all of your lives! My husband died three months ago and your story is so helpful
to me. You and your family are in my prayers.
I so believe! Jesus is visiting children, teens, adults, Muslims these last days. No one will have an excuse for not having an opportunity to make Heaven their home too. God bless all who hears about Giselle’s testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ
My heart is so filled with joy and sorrow for the family. What a beautiful reminder that Heaven is for Real and that Jesus is alive . I do so want to make it through that narrow door and into Heaven. I love God with all my heart, body and soul. And, even though I often fall short, my greatest desire is to be as much like Jesus as I possibly can.
Than you for sharing this story.
Since reading about Giselle two days ago , I have grieved at the loss of this precious child.
Thank you for the sharing the story of her life with us.
May the mother (who wrote yesterday) and her family be comforted by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This verse came to me this morning.
From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies
to silence the foe and the avenger.
Psalm 8:2
Jesus quoted the first part of the verse when the children shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David” and the chief priests and teachers of the law objected. (Mathew 21:16)
I am Giselle’s Yaya (Grandmother) Tamrahs mother. I am so touched by all the comments. My heart is feeling all the love and compassion through your words and tears. Thank you so much. I used to always say to Giselle…Are you Yayas baby? She would say Mamas baby, then I’d say Yaya too and she would say Daddy’s baby laughing so hard. Then again are you Yayas baby too and she would laugh again so hard YES Yayas baby too. And crack her self up!! It was precious!
She is Yaya’s baby too. ❤️
I am really blessed by this wonderful experience with Giselle. I lost my mum 3months ago n it was so painful but through revelations n the Holy Spirit,we got to know she’s in heaven;it was such a great relief.I know how lovely it is to have our little girl wt God. It’s a reminder for each of us to live our lives for Jesus only n dt is through living by the Word.God bless U.
Pray for us, Giselle.
I believe you were sent for us to grow closer to Jesus.
I think God made this little girl just as she was to be a witness to all of us. How precious it is to see God move in a two year old’s life. I am a kindergarten teacher. Often I get little Christian kids in my classroom, and they preach to the others. Two years ago I had a little boy named Davis in my room. He always came into school saying he believed in Jesus, and the little atheist boy in class would get so mad and convicted over it. Yes, this boy was an atheist because his dad was an atheist. God really moved in these kids’s lives. I said nothing but allowed the kids to talk freely about God. Last year I had a little boy come to class just for a visit (he was my teacher’s aide’s kid) and he preached and preached to another little boy about heaven, hell, and judgment. These are five year old kids! I was blessed, so blessed, that God moved in the little kids’ lives. But that is what He does. He is constantly out to win souls. This little girl is a light in her death and I am blessed to have read this.
Dear Parents,
Thankyou for sharing little Gieselle’s beautiful life and home-going with us. I lost my beloved husband on April 7, and am still trying to come to terms with the absence of his physical presence after 37 years. The suddenness has left me numb. He was an Evangelist and brought countless souls to Christ in India. Little Gieselle’s experiences filled me with joy and hope even as i spend time reading God’s Holy Word and learning of how our victorious Christ will come with thousands upon thousands of His saints to judge the earth. Jude 15, 16. Little Gieselle will be one of them, my beloved Solomon will be one of them and oh! so many Redeemed souls will be there and greeting each other! What a blessed joy and peace this gives my soul. Once again little Gieselle has been a blessing, for me personally. Thank You Gieselle! This world is CERTAINLY not my home, I’m just a-passing through. My treasurers are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door and i can’t feel at home in this world anymore!
This article is one I keep on my desktop and reread from time to time as inspiration to carry on. I pray to God that Gieselle will look down on me and send me a message of encouragement. I also really love Primrose Bodman’s comments. They completely echo my own feelings at this time in my life. Particularly where the writer says the following: ” This world is CERTAINLY not my home, I’m just a-passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door and i can’t feel at home in this world anymore!” Thanks so much.
ohh this story made me cry. Its so wonderful to have an everlasting Father. Jesus, we will go to our Father when we finish our mission on earth
The story of Gieselle’s life has brought a Heavenly joy to my heart. God is so good to send an angel girl named Gieselle to remind us of his great love for us. Someday soon I’ll spend eternity with Jesus and all of you . The “C” in my name stands for Curt…..with all my love Pastor Curt.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful story. God speaks to us in so many ways. I have had visions and felt the holy spirit rock me like a child. I am so glad you all were together right before your little angel went to be with Jesus. I first read it and cried then my 12 year old daughter had tears and she never really cries. It was a special story and God picked your family specifically for that purpose.
Have a very blessed life
Your sis in Christ April.
I am truly sorry for your loss. Listening to your song and seeing the picture of Holly holding Giselle had me in tears. I have a daughter who just turned one and sitting here reading this has made me realize how precious life is. I am truly humbled. Thank you for sharing Giselle.
As a father of a girl about Giselle’s age, this story brought a tear to my eye.
Minutes before my grandma passed away, she excitedly told my mum that Jesus had come into the room. And I’ve heard several other people with similar experiences. And I have no doubt that Giselle is now with Jesus in heaven.
THANK YOU FOR YOURE STORY, GOD BLESS YOU AND I AM SO SORRY FOR YOURE LOSS. GISELLE WAS A ANGEL TOO.
Praise be to God!!!! Thank You Jesus for the blessing of Giselle. Her life, this story…. Your LOVE.
It is easy to live a busy life and be distracted from the search of knowing Christ in His entirety but it is triggers like this testimony that activate that thirst to seek closeness to the one true God.
Thank you Giselle’s family for sharing your story….. What a true gift reading about your angel has been to me. My 3 children sleep now as it is early hours of the morning but as soon as they wake I will hug and kiss them like never before but for now I will Thank the Almighty Heavenly Father for His giving me them to love and raise. Blessings to you all<3
Oh, Thank you, Thank you , Tamrah and Joe, for sharing this most touching story. My soul was weeping as I read your account of baby Giselle’s wondrous short time here on earth; weeping for your loss, and weeping for joy of knowing that Giselle is running and dancing on the streets of gold in heaven with Jesus, our most precious Saviour. May you always feel His nearness, and know that one day you will be again united in Heaven. With my love, Carole
Thank you for sharing this touching story about your blessed daughter Giselle. This story brought me to tears, but also comfort in knowing that Jesus revealed himself to her before she passed. I remember reading this passage not too long ago that reminded me of Giselle’s story…”But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” Luke 18:16
Wow. What a very touching story. I found this story as I was google searching for “my baby said hi Jesus” because my 16 month old daughter who usually only says “Hi” has said “Hi Jesus” on two different occasions. She’s not of the age where she uses two words at the same time, and this is the first and only time she has put two words together. Wow. I am just amazed.
This is a very touching story. Iam looking working on my faith because i always get destructed while praying. I would really want to see Jesus. It is my dying wish.
The Lord Jesus, king of joy and life, prepared a place for Giselle with his beloved family.The time will come when the Lord will raise the dead, Giselle will be included in the glorious events that will happen very soon. She will live happily with her Lord and Brother Jesus in Paradise. I am touched by this story.
wooow I’m encouraged in the Lord.
Stories like this lessen the gap between heaven and earth. I, too, have a little brother waiting for me in Heaven, where he knows neither sickness nor death.
Dear Lord Jesus!
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