Girl Beaten By Father, Once On Life Support, Celebrates 4th Birthday

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Two years ago, she was beaten by her father and wasn't expected to survive.

Rae'Ana Hall was just 21 months old.

Her ribs and pelvic bone were broken, she had severe brain injuries and was on life support.

But today, she celebrates her fourth birthday. A milestone her family feels blessed to have reached.

Rae'Ana Hall is dressed and ready for her birthday party.

This 4-year-old has lots of personality, what you are seeing is a return to her former self.

Her mother says it's hard to believe she has come this far in such a short time.

"It was a hard time, it was a very hard time," said Rae'Chelle Hall.

We first met Rae'Chelle Hall and her family as they gathered around Rae'Ana's hospital bed at HCMC two years ago.

"At the time she was on life support and we weren't getting good news, they were saying she wasn't going to make it," Hall said.

This praying family never left Rae'Ana's side and her mother says their prayers were answered.

"It went from one week she opened her eyes, two weeks she started really being alert and then they took her off the breathing tube. Three weeks we were going to Gillette. Everything that they said she wasn't going to do she slowly started being able to do it and it just gave me so much hope," Hall said.

Rae'Chelle says she knew Rae'Ana would pull through so she could slide into her new role of big sister.

As Rae'Ana clung to life, her mother was three months pregnant with Maya.

Her nickname is Black Rose.

"The rose out of the concrete kind of thing. She was the beauty in all the tragedy that was going on at the time," Hall said.

Rae'Ana's recovery has been nothing short of a miracle but she still has some challenges.

"It's just a little tightness on the left side. She likes to clutch her hand a little bit, kind of neglects to use it with certain things," Hall said.

A small obstacle mom believes this little survivor will overcome.

Rae'Ana's father, Ticortier Collins, is serving 25 years in prison.

Her mother hopes physical therapy will prepare her for pre-K this fall.