"It
seems like a Miracle"
Reprinted
with kind permission from GARABANDAL
JOURNAL March-April 2008
Translated from Spanish by Dr. Edward Serrano
Letter dated February 18, 1962, from the Marques de Santa Maria to Father
Ramon Andreu. It appears that Father Andreu knew of an alleged cure in Madrid and suggested
that the Marques might want to look into it.
Encouraged by your letter, Rosario [the Marques's
wife] and I went to Jose del
Hierro Street, in Concepcion neighborhood, to a new, modest
house. We went up to the third floor (no elevator), knocked, and a tall, very
thin, middle-aged woman opened the door. I asked her if she had a son that had
been very sick. She said yes, and that he had been close to death. Here is the
story.
Last August, her three-and-a-half-year-old boy was
completely normal, and healthy enough that she could take him to the swimming
pool without any problem. One day he started to become paralyzed and behaving
as if he couldn't see. In a few days he was like a log, no movement and totally
blind. It was a terrifying situation. He was being fed via nasogastric tube in
the Concepcion Clinic. A team of doctors examined him, and initially surgery
was considered. They had taken him to the operating room, and even shaved his
head, but this plan was discarded when the tests and electroencephalogram were
reviewed by Dr. Obrador, who stated that his condition would not be improved by
surgery. He was sent back home and his case was followed up by Dr. Paniagua,
who worked with Dr. Obrador.
Sometime in October, the boy's mother placed several
religious medals close to him, one being of Our Lady of Pilar, and a month
later she received from a relative of her husband (Mr. Gredilla, a jeweler from
Burgos) a medal
and was told to place it on the boy, as it had been "kissed by Our Lady at Garabandal." In
great faith she hung the medal around the child's neck. Several days later, the
paralyzed boy began to have seizures, first in the legs, then the arms, and
tongue, etc. He opened his eyes and showed general improvement. Today we have
seen him and he is completely normal and in perfect health.
So this is a report of our visit today. I explained to
the mother the reason for the interview and she was very willing to give us all
the data. She is completely convinced that her boy was cured by a miracle. She
told us, 'When I took him back to the clinic, the doctors could not believe it
was the same child. Even Dr. Paniagua told me, It seems like a miracle!'"
I already mentioned to you the case of the
motorcyclist from Barcelona
and how his story was mishandled. So this time we are moving slowly. First,
I'll talk to the husband, hopefully tomorrow, and I understand he has the
medical history of the case, and all the diagnostic tests and lab work, and the
final diagnosis. I have promised the mother not to give any publicity to the
case until we make a completely impartial assessment of everything that has
happened here. The family is in agreement with this. But I can't resist saying
how pleased I am to be able to forward this to you, and I trust everything to
your discretion.
The boy's name is Miguel, and Rosario says that she heard the girls mention
a "Miguel" in their ecstasy and that the Virgin had said, "Many
children will be healed." Do you remember hearing the girls ask,
"Will little Miguel be cured?" Rosario
does, and thinks it must be recorded in some of the notes taken that day,
possibly by Matutano. I'll check it out tonight and keep you informed of
everything and write to you after talking to Father Rodrigo.
Reprinted with kind permission
from GARABANDAL JOURNAL
March-April 2008
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