On Christmas Eve 1996, a woman named Maxine won a contest that rewarded her with a small, simple poinsettia plant for the holiday season.
Three days later, Maxine died of a heart attack. Her heartbroken husband Frankie had no plans to keep the plant. But then he noticed it changing right before his eyes.
For the next 19 years, Maxine's plant continued to grow. Each year it would grow bigger and sturdier… and then even bigger and sturdier than the year before.
But here's the thing. According to eHow.com, a healthy poinsettia plant can last several months inside. Frankie's poinsettia lasted two decades! This remarkable "miracle plant" not only astonished Frankie's friends and family, but also plant specialists in his hometown of Hallifax, Nova Scotia. Experts had never seen anything like it before.
With its bright red and green leaves, the plant stood proudly at nearly five feet tall and weighed more than 100 pounds. It became so massive that Frankie could barely see out his windows.
Every Christmastime, the poinsettia blossoms and reminds Frankie of his dearly beloved wife. In some beautiful way, it was if she was right there with him in the living room.
