A grieving mum who tragically lost her unborn baby has revealed how a scan appears to show the Virgin Mary holding her son.
Cassie Lee lost her son Gus after midwives failed to find a heartbeat on a 20-week scan.
But looking back at an ultrasound done just before hearing the unimaginable news, the mum says she did a double take - noticing a strange, angel-like presence which appeared to be reaching out and holding her child.
Cassie has shared the image online in the hopes it will bring comfort to other parents suffering with baby loss or miscarriage.
Friends dubbed the image as "precious" and "beautiful", while others claimed it left them with goose bumps.
"It's like she's holding her arms out to him," one person said, while another added: "She was with your baby bringing him straight to heaven."
Cassie said: "At the time I didn't notice the Blessed Mother. I was too busy labelling the ultrasound picture for my parents to see him in it.
"My sister in law, Liana, was the one to point it out to me. It immediately comforted me. I know that Gus is safe in heaven.
"I keep the scan in my bedroom next to pictures of my brother and family - he's always with me."
Cassie married husband Ben in May 2015, before discovering five months later they were going to be parents.
The couple had recently bought a new home and decked out the nursery ahead of the new arrival, deciding to call him August - or Gus for short.
Cassie, a hospice nurse, said she had even bought a sweet baby-sized Adidas tracksuit for the new arrival to wear.
Meanwhile medics were keeping a close eye on Cassie as it was thought the baby had an echogenic bowel - when the bowel appears brighter than normal in images - but nothing ever came of it.
But turning up for her mid-pregnancy scan, the couple's excitement turned to grief.
"I went in for a scheduled ultrasound and they were unable to find a heartbeat," she said.
"The tech walked out to find a doctor. Those passing minutes were some of the worst of my life.
"At the time of the ultrasound Ben was at work, so I was alone. It was a routine visit, not something we anticipated."
Gus would have been seven this year. The couple went on to have two other sons, Sam, six, and Max, three.
After a doctor confirmed the loss, Cassie was given the option to go straight to be induced or to go home and pack, which she chose to do.
She gave birth to Gus on March 9, 2016 - he weighed just 1.5lbs and was 11.5 inches long - a perfect baby.
The couple, who live on the South Shore in Massachusetts, had photos taken, including a beautiful one of the tot's feet, and were allowed to hold him for as long as they wanted.
"I kept the hat and blanket they let me hold him in and the hospital made a whole memory box with his prints," Cassie said.
"But it was devastating to leave the hospital empty-handed.
"The hospital did an exceptional job. They assign you a nurse who follows you for a while and checks in.
"She helped me figure out how to let people know we lost Gus, how to stop my milk when it came in and was always there to listen.
"I left there without my son but I gained a lifelong friend.
"But I would sit in his room and cry.
"At night I would wake up and forget I lost him. It was a harsh reality to come to the realisation I lost him over and over again."
The mum-of-three says the scan picture has given her extra comfort, being raised Catholic.
"Not only do people want to avoid the topic of death, but most definitely do not want to discuss the death of a baby," she said.
"I received a beautiful outpouring from friends and family but it was still incredibly isolating."
