Benedicta McCarthy — St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

In 1987, as a toddler, Benedicta McCarthy (Teresa Benedicta McCarthy) swallowed a massive dose of Tylenol (acetaminophen). She was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital in a coma with her liver and kidneys near failure. Acetaminophen overdose causes acute hepatic necrosis; in severe cases, survival is rare. Total hepatic failure typically leads to death or transplant. Her parents prayed to Edith Stein for her recovery. The girl survived. The case is extensively documented by modern intensive care standards, with detailed medical charts from Massachusetts General Hospital. The Vatican declared this recovery a miracle for the canonization process. Stein was canonized October 11, 1998, by John Paul II.

Detailed medical charts from Massachusetts General Hospital document the case. Acetaminophen overdose causes acute hepatic necrosis; total hepatic failure in a toddler typically leads to death or transplant. Spontaneous recovery from total hepatic failure is medically rare. The Washington Post and New York Times covered the case. The archdiocese of Boston investigated; medical records were submitted to the Vatican. The medical facts stand independently—the evidence was reviewed by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, but the documentation is secular and verifiable.