Close to Mystery

“There was another occurrence. It was 1966, and my eldest daughter, Maria Raffaella, was one year old. The right side of her face suddenly began to swell. We took her to the Sant’Orsola hospital in Bologna because we were so worried. The medical examinations lasted two months. The doctors eventually diagnosed her with parotid gland cancer. She needed surgery, but it would be complicated. It was the first surgery of that kind in Italy and the second one in all of Europe. Surgeons came from abroad. There were many risks, and the doctors told me that even if my daughter survived, she would be scarred forever.

“My wife took our daughter to Mass every day, and she implored the Virgin Mary’s pity. I prayed to Padre Pio, who was still alive. I sent my guardian angel to him, like I had done in the past. And on the day of the surgery, something unbelievable happened. The best cancer hospital in Italy had diagnosed my daughter with a tumor, and there were no doubts about it. During the surgery, however, the surgeons found a lipoma instead of a tumor, and they removed it. The surgery should have lasted twelve hours, but after only one hour, the doctors came out with tears in their eyes. They could not understand how a tumor could turn into a lipoma, but it happened. My daughter has always been in good health since then. Now she is married and has three children.”