| Director | Patricia Riggen |
|---|---|
| Genre | Christian film, drama film |
| Runtime | 109 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $14 million |
| Box office | $74 million |
The film is based on a true story set in Burleson, Texas between 2007 and 2012.
Christy and Kevin Beam live with their three daughters, Abbie, Anna, and Adelynn, and are active in their local Baptist church. One day, Anna starts repeatedly vomiting and is taken to see a doctor who cannot find anything abnormal, suggesting lactose intolerance. However, on March 20, 2008, things only get worse when Anna begins feeling intense stomach pain in the middle of the night. Her parents take her to the hospital, but doctors find no signs of illness, saying it is likely acid reflux, but Christy is incredulous.
The following morning, a pediatrician in the hospital can diagnose Anna with an abdominal obstruction, and he tells them he must operate immediately or she will die. After emergency surgery, the doctor explains that Anna has been left with intestinal pseudo-obstruction and she is unable to eat, so feeding tubes are needed for her nutrition. The doctor then tells the Beams about America's foremost pediatric gastroenterologist, Dr. Samuel Nurko in Boston, but explains it could take months for them to be seen.
While Kevin tries to remain faithful, Christy begins growing uneasy and refuses to go to church after some members of the congregation suggest Anna's disorder may be God's punishment for sinning in their family.
Desperate to get her daughter help, Christy takes Anna to Boston Children's Hospital in January 2009 but is denied due to the lack of an appointment. After spending a day with Massachusetts resident Angela Bradford, who takes them on a tour around the city including the aquarium, which is really monumental for Anna as she missed a school trip to the aquarium due to her illness, she learns from a receptionist that Dr. Nurko has a last-minute opening.
After examining Anna, Dr. Nurko shares with Christy the extent of her chronic illness, which has an underlying neurological cause. Anna asks about Dr. Nurko's Elmo necktie, which he tells her he has to wear for losing a bet, but he is allowed to take it off when his next patient is better. After returning home, Christy explains to Kevin she is worried about the costs of treatment. While trying to reassure her, he is shocked when Christy admits she's lost her faith and cannot even pray. Her church's pastor explains that although Anna is suffering, it doesn't mean God doesn't love her, and that trying to get close to Him feels better than doing it all by yourself.
While Anna goes through extensive treatment, she shares a room with Haley, who has terminal cancer. Haley asks about her cross necklace, and Anna explains that it reminds her that Jesus is always with her, then gifts it to Haley. Later, Haley tells her father, Ben, that she is not afraid to die. Ben is displeased at the exchange, as he doesn't want to give Haley false hope, and asks Christy to prevent it from happening again. Anna begins showing signs of depression, tearfully telling Christy that she wants to die and go to heaven. Her mood is temporarily lifted by a surprise visit from her dad and sisters.
After returning home, Anna and Abbie climb up to a very high branch of an old cottonwood tree. While they are standing on the branch, it begins to break. Anna goes to the trunk for safety, but she then falls into the hollowed-out center.
While firefighters work to get Anna out, Christy and her family gather near the base of the tree and pray together. After Anna is taken out of the tree and airlifted to the hospital, Christy and Kevin are shocked to learn that not only did she survive, but she also suffered no serious injuries, only a minor concussion.
Sometime after the fall, Anna seems to no longer be affected by her illness. She tells her parents that while in the tree, she saw heaven and spoke to God. She said He told her she would be healed. After meeting with Dr. Nurko one last time, he tells Christy that the concussion disrupted Anna's neurological system, which sent her disorder into spontaneous remission. Christy pushes for an explanation, and while Dr. Nurko cannot bring himself to say she is cured (as the condition is incurable), he symbolically removes his Elmo necktie and gives it to Christy. At the airport, before leaving back home, Anna asks Angela if she could call her aunt; a touched Angela happily accepts before saying goodbye to her and Christy.
At church, Christy shares the story of Anna's recovery and her reconnection to her faith in God. She talks about the love and miracles that she witnessed in the people around her during Anna's illness. While many are happy, some members of the congregation question the validity of the story. Ben, who has traveled from Boston upon hearing the story about Anna, presents himself to the crowd and talks about how Anna sharing her connection to God with Haley brought her peace and comfort in the hospital, before she shortly passed away, to Christy's dismay.
Later, the Beam family eats pizza together, having all promised earlier to abstain from eating it as long as Anna wasn't able to.
The film ends with clips of the real Beam family where Anna says she has not been sick since and is now a healthy seventh grader.