'She can't breathe!': Christian music singer Natalie Grant opens up about her family's trauma after her daughter Gracie, 8, almost died from asthma complications

  • Singer Natalie Grant documented her daughter's hospitalization on Facebook after the girl fell ill during the Christmas holiday
  • Gracie, 8, had a collapsed lung and the other was at 50 percent capacity
  • Doctors said on a scale of 0 to 12, 0 being healthiest, Gracie was an 11
  • Natalie, who aims to be open with fans, said the support she received on social media helped her make it through the ordeal  

By Kalhan Rosenblatt For Dailymail.com

Published: 11:03 EST, 1 February 2016 | Updated: 15:33 EST, 1 February 2016

Christian music singer Natalie Grant has spoken out about the trauma of almost losing her daughter to complications from asthma.

After the skin around her eight-year-old daughter Gracie's mouth turned blue, the mother-of-two rushed the little girl to hospital. 

Emergency room nurses took the girl's vitals. Realizing she was in a dire situation, five doctors rushed Gracie to a back room.

Natalie Grant (left) posted this picture of her praying over her daughter Gracie, eight, (right) while she was in the hospital suffering from a collapsed lung from asthma complications

Natalie Grant (left) posted this picture of her praying over her daughter Gracie, eight, (right) while she was in the hospital suffering from a collapsed lung from asthma complications

Natalie Grant, 44, (pictured) is a singer-songwriter of Christian music. She says she's open as possible with her fans on social media and received a ton of support after she posted pictures of little Gracie in hospital

Natalie Grant, 44, (pictured) is a singer-songwriter of Christian music. She says she's open as possible with her fans on social media and received a ton of support after she posted pictures of little Gracie in hospital

The mother-of-two noticed something was wrong with Gracie (pictured) when the little girl's face turned blue

The mother-of-two noticed something was wrong with Gracie (pictured) when the little girl's face turned blue

'That's when I started to cry and to panic. Oh my gosh, she's really in a bad way,' Natalie told the Tennessean.

Gracie first started showing signs that something was wrong on Christmas day while at Natalie's parents' house in Seattle.

At a Christmas Day party with nearly 30 relatives, Grant told her daughters to stand in front of the Christmas tree for a picture.

Gracie was struggling to smile. 

'She was like, 'I'm trying but it's kind of hard to breathe,'' Natalie said.

Gracie struggled to breathe the next day so Natalie started counting the girl's breaths.  

Natalie and her husband posted to Facebook to keep her fans informed while Gracie was hospitalized

Natalie and her husband posted to Facebook to keep her fans informed while Gracie was hospitalized

Gracie made a full recovery after less than a week in a pediatric ICU and went home on New Year's Day

Gracie made a full recovery after less than a week in a pediatric ICU and went home on New Year's Day

The number was twice as high as the usual 18 to 22 breaths per minute for children.

Natalie took Gracie to the ER, where a physician's assistant and a nurse said Gracie had pneumonia, gave her a breathing treatment and some drugs, and sent the girl home.

The next day Gracie's face turned blue and she ended up in a pediatric intensive care unit. 

One of the girl's lungs had collapsed and the other was at 50 percent capacity. Gracie couldn't even talk.

On a scale of 0 to 12, with 0 being healthy, Gracie's problems were at an 11, doctors told her parents.

'I'm panicking.

'I'd leave the room, cry my eyes out and come back and hold her hand,' Natalie said.

So Natalie began to pray. She put her arms over her daughter as she lay in her hospital bed and prayed for Gracie to get better.

Husband Bernie Herms (left) and Natalie took shifts watching over Gracie while she was in the hospital

Husband Bernie Herms (left) and Natalie took shifts watching over Gracie while she was in the hospital

The support Natalie, Bernie and Gracie received on Facebook helped give them strength during the ordeal

The support Natalie, Bernie and Gracie received on Facebook helped give them strength during the ordeal

Natalie's husband, Bernie Herms, took a picture and posted it to Facebook as the 44-year-old singer prayed.

Shortly after it was posted, the picture reached eight million people.  

Natalie always aimed to be open with her fans, sharing ever detail of her life with her supporters. 

The picture caused her online fanbase to views, comments and share into the thousands.

'I have all these people who would pray for my kid. I honestly didn't expect it to be what it was. It was literally a worldwide prayer chain.

'I'm reading these comments and it gave us a ton of strength,' she said.

After less than a week in the hospital, Gracie's breathing was back to normal and the vibrant little girl was back to her normal self.

'We are headed HOME! 

'We are thanking God for the miraculous recovery Gracie has had. 

'Here she is, five days in the ICU and now headed home,' Natalie posted on Facebook on January 1.

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