Miracle Received Through the Intercession of Our Lady of Fatima
West Indies: January 2001
I was very blessed to accompany my husband on his tour with the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima to the Caribbean Islands. To say that I was excited about the tour would be putting it very mildly; I was ecstatic, especially to get away from the snow and the cold temperatures that we were experiencing. Aside from the weather, I had another wish in my heart. Hearing about all of the miracles that happen in the presence of the statue, I secretly asked Our Lady to allow me to witness something very special during this tour so that people would believe.
Our first stop on the tour was Trinidad, only to board a plane to the Island of Granada. (I immediately thanked Our Lord and Our Lady for the warm 90 degree temperatures.)
On the fourth night of our stay in Granada, we enjoyed a late dinner with His Lordship Bishop Sydney Charles and two of his friends. As it approached 10:30 p.m. we gathered our belongings to leave. Just as I turned, I missed a step and fell, twisting my ankle. The ankle hurt a little, but I was able to walk without any help. However, around 2:30 a.m., I was awakened by an excruciating pain. My foot was swollen to almost twice its size and my toes and heel were red, black and blue, and purple. Just to move or to touch the foot caused great pain. My first thought was, "We have to be up by 5:00 a.m. to head for the airport. How was I going to walk?"
Our lodging that evening was in a convent. When I heard one of the sisters coming out of the chapel, sitting on the bed, I called to her and asked for an ice pack to apply to my foot to help the swelling. Sister returned with approximately six ice cubes in a plastic bag. My first thought was, "this is not going to help it any." Already 3:30 a.m., with the six ice cubes on my foot, and a prayer in my heart, I prayed to Our Lady of Fatima to intercede for me to Her Son just to lessen the pain enough so that I could continue on with the tour, then immediately fell asleep.
At 5:00 a.m. the alarm sounded and I felt like I had a good night's sleep. My thoughts were immediately directed to my ankle: no pain. I stood up and started walking: no pain. Upon examination, my entire foot was still swollen to twice its size and the toes and heal were still red, black and blue, and purple. When my husband woke up he immediately told me that I would have to stay behind and he would somehow arrange for me to see a doctor and arrange transportation home. I told him I had no pain, but he did not believe me. Just any minute he thought I would be sitting down and elevating my leg. As he watched me running around gathering all of our belongings, he told me he prayed to Our Lady to intercede but at the same time he was wondering about the need for x-rays, a cast, and crutches, and how he would have to send me home.
Getting the foot into my shoe was another thanksgiving prayer. Having size 11 narrow feet makes it sometimes virtually impossible to find the correct size shoes-especially on a budget! For many weeks before the trip, I searched the stores for a pair of sneakers to take along, finally finding a pair. The last minute while packing the shoes for the trip, I noticed the size inside the shoe-11 Wide. Certain my foot would flop in and out of the shoe, I rationalized that I could possibly tie the shoestrings tight enough to keep them on. And, I simply thought I could purchase another pair of shoes on one of the Islands.
When His Lordship Bishop Sydney Charles came to pick us up for the airport, he blessed my foot, and we were on our way. On that particular day, we visited three islands. We had to board three small airplanes, a motorboat wherein we had to jump in, a ferryboat, and another commercial airline at 9:00 p.m. to go to the island of St. Lucia and then process from the airport to the Cathedral. In between, we visited five churches and processed with the Fatima Statue for almost four miles all in one day. NO PAIN.
During the entire twenty-six day tour, we had to walk many miles in processions going up and down mountainous terrain. NO PAIN.
Four days before our return home, Dr. Courtenay Bartholomew, a Scientist at the Medical Research Center in Trinidad who has written many books on Our Lady, and who also was responsible for coordinating the tour, took me to a Clinic for x-rays. The x-rays showed a badly sprained ankle and a number of tendons were ruptured. The doctor told me my foot should have been put into a cast immediately when it happened. He then proceeded to put a removable cast on my ankle. He only had one question: "How were you able to walk?" I told him I asked Our Lady to take enough of the pain away so that I could continue on with the tour, and later that morning His Lordship Bishop Sydney Charles blessed my foot." Dr. Bartholomew then replied, smiling: "It is people like this that put us (doctors) out of business."
After a couple of months, the coloring of my foot returned to normal, but remained swollen for another five months, without any pain. Yes, I did witness a miracle I had asked Our Lady for. However, I did not expect to be the recipient.
Rose Marie Malburg