Like It Never Happened: One Mothers Journey From Autism Diagnosis to Miracle...
Nicole Grant's faith journey began long before her son faced medical challenges.
Raised in church, she had a foundation in Christianity, but she says her understanding of faith deepened significantly after meeting her husband.
"He was a follower of Scripture and standing on faith," Nicole said. "That's really where my faith started growing."
At the time, Nicole was dealing with personal struggles, including depression and panic attacks. Her husband introduced her to the teachings of Christian author and minister Charles Capps and gave her a copy of one of his books on "God's Creative Power For Healing."
"He told me, 'You know how you take pills every day for depression and panic attacks? Take the Word of God like that. Charles Capps teaches to take it three times a day like medicine until faith comes,'" she recalled.
Following his advice, Nicole began reading and speaking Scripture regularly.
Over time, she says those practices transformed her relationship with God and strengthened her confidence in His promises.
"That's where my faith was built," Nicole said. "I started taking the Word of God literally."
Years later, when her son began facing developmental challenges, Nicole would draw on those same convictions as she navigated uncertainty and searched for answers.
Hallowed Halls
Standing on the second floor of a children's hospital in 2021, Nicole felt overwhelmed.
Her young son wasn't talking. He avoided eye contact and seemed locked in his own world. A severe vitamin D and calcium deficiency had contributed to developmental delays and left him unable to walk normally. At one point, a leg fracture landed him in the hospital, adding another layer of fear and uncertainty to an already difficult season.
Medical professionals offered different opinions. One doctor believed her son had autism. Another did not. The lines were blurred. As Nicole and her husband searched for answers, she found herself wrestling with questions no parent wants to face.
Then, she says, God spoke.
"Look at the door and the people coming into this place," she recalled. "They're looking for help and they will never leave. I want my children to be set free. You have to open your mouth and speak."
Nicole resisted at first.
"So many people were accepting of autism," she said. "I told the Lord, 'I don't think this is a good idea.'"
But the prompting wouldn't relent. What began as a mother's personal journey eventually grew into The Blood Over Autism. This ministry was a prophetic word that was spoken over her while her son was dealing with his leg fracture. “You will wear autism like a banner.” She rejected that prophetic word because she didn’t understand the meaning behind it. The Lord reminded her when she obeyed and opened her mouth to speak. Today, it is a ministry dedicated to encouraging families to place their faith not in a diagnosis, but in what God says about healing, restoration and hope. Nicole is far from alone in confronting an autism diagnosis.
According to a 2025 analysis from Johns Hopkins University, the CDC's most recent surveillance data found that 1 in 31 eight-year-olds across its monitoring sites had been identified with autism, a number that has climbed nearly 300 percent over the past two decades. The demographics have shifted as well, with higher identification rates among Black, Asian and Pacific Islander children and more than 1 percent of girls.
It's against that backdrop, of more families than ever receiving a diagnosis, that Nicole built her platform.
Like It Never Happened
One unforgettable experience in particular became a cornerstone of Nicole's faith journey.
She recalls driving to work during one of the most difficult periods of her son's struggle, pouring out her heart to God as she searched for answers.
"I was praying and talking to the Lord, saying, 'Tell me what to do,'" Nicole said. "I know this is not how You created my child to be. He couldn't talk and there were so many things he couldn't do. I was just crying out to God."
As she drove, Nicole says she heard God speaking promises over her family.
"He told me financial hardships would be like it never happened. Sickness would be like it never happened, the being nonverbal, it will be like it never happened." she said. "He was speaking over me and over my son."
The experience was so emotional that tears streamed down her face as she continued down the highway.
"I don't even know how I was driving," she recalled.
Then came a moment she says she will never forget.
As she approached her exit, Nicole heard Holy Spirit tell her to move into the other lane. Directly in front of her was a bright lime-green van bearing a message across the back: "Like It Never Even Happened."
The phrase mirrored the words she had just heard in prayer.
"I was shocked," she said.
Moments later, she noticed another vehicle. This one had a personalized license plate that read "ACQUITTED."
For Nicole, the sequence carried a spiritual meaning.
"God said I was acquitted of everything the enemy was holding against me and my life," she said. "All those charges had been dropped. I was no longer bound by those things."
The experience became the inspiration for a blog post she later titled "Like It Never Happened," a phrase that continues to shape how she views her son's journey and the promises she believes God has spoken over her family.
"After that, nobody could tell me it wasn't going to happen," she said. "The Lord confirmed it for me."
Healing Is the Children’s Bread
Today, Nicole describes her son as a completely different child from the one who struggled with developmental delays just a few years ago.
"We have seen the Lord heal all those things in him," she said. "He's such an intelligent little boy. He continues to amaze me every single day in all the things he knows."
Watching his personality emerge has been one of the greatest joys of the journey.
"It's like I'm getting to meet my child for the first time," Nicole said.
Today, she describes her son as a thriving 8-year-old who never ceases to surprise her with his growth and development.
While her son has overcome so much already, Nicole continues to rely on her faith every day.
"In the natural, there are still little things we're waiting for," she said. "But as God has promised, it will all come to pass."
The journey has also connected Nicole with thousands of families facing similar challenges.
"People send me videos," she said. "One mother told me that after watching one of our declaration videos, her non-verbal child said 'Amen.' She said her child had never said anything before."
Not every message is a testimony. Many come from parents who are still struggling to process a diagnosis and wondering what the future holds.
"I was there," Nicole said. "You get a diagnosis and you're on a roller coaster. You don't know what to do. They're telling you your child may never talk or live a normal life on their own."
Those parents, she says, are the reason she continues to share her family's story.
Their questions, struggles and testimonies would eventually help shape The Blood Over Autism into the ministry it is today. Nicole said she later learned that breastfed infants can require vitamin D supplementation, something she was unaware of at the time and which she believes may have contributed to her son's deficiency.
Building The Blood Over Autism
As her son's condition improved, Nicole began sharing pieces of her family's story online.
At first, her focus was not autism, but the severe vitamin D deficiency that had contributed to many of the challenges her family faced.
"My husband started researching," she said. "Many parents don't realize there can be similarities in some of the symptoms between a vitamin D deficiency and autism."
What began as conversations about her son's health gradually evolved into a broader ministry focused on faith, healing and hope for families navigating autism diagnoses.
"I started off talking about the vitamin D deficiency," Nicole said. "Then the Lord slowly led me into speaking about autism and where we are supposed to stand as believers."
Today, through social media, online resources and The Blood Over Autism ministry, Nicole encourages parents to look beyond a diagnosis and anchor their hope in what God has promised.
Faith and Wisdom
One of the biggest misconceptions Nicole encounters is the idea that faith and medical care are somehow at odds with one another.
She is quick to tell parents that believing God for healing does not automatically mean abandoning therapies, services or medical support.
"I encourage families to use wisdom," Nicole said. "Faith doesn't mean we have to stop taking our children to therapy unless the Lord specifically leads you to do that."
"I don't advise them to do that," she said. "You can have faith and still get your child services."
That was the approach her own family took. Her son participated in speech therapy and occupational therapy while Nicole continued praying and believing for his healing. He continues to have his vitamin D and calcium levels checked regularly.
"My child was in speech therapy and occupational therapy," she said. "I had faith, but I still listened to God and walked in wisdom."
What's Next
Nicole believes The Blood Over Autism is only the beginning.
While the ministry continues to grow online, she says her long-term vision extends beyond social media posts and videos. Her next goal is to create a faith-based university where parents can learn the biblical foundations she believes were instrumental in her own family's journey.
According to Nicole, many families enter the autism journey overwhelmed, discouraged and uncertain about what to believe.
"A lot of parents don't know what belongs to them as believers," she said. "They don't have a faith foundation to build upon."
She envisions a place where parents can study Scripture, strengthen their understanding of faith and learn how to apply biblical principles to difficult circumstances.
"I want them to start from the foundation of Christ and build their faith from there," she said.
Nicole also hopes to expand the ministry through in-person gatherings and events. She believes those gatherings will become places where families can find encouragement, prayer and community.
For now, she remains focused on sharing her family's story and encouraging parents facing the same fears and uncertainties she once experienced.
"When it gets heavy, I remember where we came from," she said. "And I want other parents to know there is hope."
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