The most incredible thing that happened here one year ago relates to a highly placed military official from the Italian Army. The gentleman wants to be anonymous, because of his position. His wife told me the story of what happened to them and l shall relate it here exactly, quoting her own words: "At the end of 1979, my husband started having lots of difficulties in breathing. So, I took him to specialists, who told me after screening (X rays) that his illness was in a very advanced stage that he was suffering from 'Sarcoidosi'. A few days later my husband visited his Military Hospital and there they gave the following diagnosis: Your lungs are in such a bad state that it won't be possible for you to continue in service. Anyway, try to cure yourself and come back after 90 days. We will see what to do.
It was a rude revelation which gave a tremendous shock to my husband, who was only 47 and very much attached to his military career. A very intensive treatment was given but without any results. He had to be admitted to a hospital. The doctor who was attending on him was a famous specialist. He was checking the progress of my husband and as his first treatment did not give any favourable response he told my husband that he has to perform biopsy on him, for, only then he would be able to find the right treatment. My husband was in a terrible condition and by that time his lungs were working only 20 percent. There was not enough oxygen in his blood to allow any operation and oxygen therapy had to be administered. So, for two weeks my husband had to wear the oxygen mask for 12 hours a day. Even this proved futile.
`Anyway, there is no choice'; said the doctor, 'so, we will try the operation'. With incredible skill, he could perform the operation and take away a piece of lung for his examination. The result proved catastrophic. My husband learnt that he was suffering from `proteinosi alveolare'—an illness which is completely incurable. The doctor was frank in telling me that it was a very rare disease. He said: `In my lifetime I have come across only three patients suffering from this illness and all the three have succumbed. The one person who could live longer survived only for one year. I have contacted some foreign specialists, friends of mine, whether in recent years any treatment has been discovered to combat this dreadful disease: But the answer was in the negative!’
I went back home in a state of desperation. I had to inform my three children about their father's condition. My eldest daughter was going to an English School, the teacher in which was an Indian lady from Bombay (now, Mumbai). When the teacher saw my daughter crying, she asked her the reasons thereof and on knowing our family tragedy, she told her, `Ask your mother to ring me up'. I contacted her on the telephone and she invited me to her house. There she started talking about Sai Baba, who was completely unknown to me. She told me that if I had enough faith in Him and if I was praying, "that person" would be able to help me. She gave me some Vibhuti and a book on Sai Baba. We are practising Catholics, but my pain was so great that I could not pray. But "that person" of whom the teacher talked to me gave me a lot of confidence and serenity. He appeared to me like a friend, who could help me to turn myself towards God.
I came back and told my children what I heard and I started reading the book she gave me. The day after, I talked to my husband in the hospital about Sai Baba and he felt at once an instinctive attraction towards Him. Every night I used to read one chapter from the book and also give my husband some Vibhuti to eat. At a certain point, the hospital people told my husband to return home to pass his last days peacefully, because they were sure that his end was very near. He came back home. There, we went on reading about Sai Baba and continued the intake of Vibhuti. After 10 days we went back to the doctor for a check-up and there we discovered that a miracle had happened. My husband's lungs were completely normal! The doctor could not believe it. Doubting his first X-ray prints, he said, 'we will do new X-ray, but I have the feeling that something incredible has happened'..
The next day; my husband went to another specialist—the one who had taken X-ray photos in the beginning and who knew perfectly, his condition. The results revealed in the new X-ray photos were bewildering. There were no signs of damaged lungs or of any disease! The doctor said: 'There must be some error' and he did another examination. While he was announcing the results, the doctor started crying in front of such a miracle.
So, I took my husband again to the first doctor who said: 'I know everything already'. The Radiologist rang me up. He examined for a long time the radiographs he had before him and said that 'there was a complete reversal of the illness'. 'Two weeks ago, you were using your lungs upto 20 percent and they are working now at 80 percent,' he said, adding that 'that means you are breathing like a perfectly normal person.' `Did you undergo any treatment without telling me?' queried the doctor. We told him: 'We just prayed to Virgin Mary for help...' Of course, I did not mention Sai Baba because I did not know how to explain who He was. The doctor seemed to be thinking deeply and said: 'If this Virgin Mary does such miracles, please pray for me also'. Then I asked the doctor, 'Do you think that my husband can resume his duty again in the army?' and he said, 'Of course, he can. He is in a perfect condition of health'.
One week later, my husband went to the Military Hospital carrying with him his X-ray photos. There the Army Doctor told, him: `I do not know who gave you the impression that you are cured. But, you cannot fool me. I know how your lungs are. We will do again X-rays.' Then, when the result of the new X-rays was seen, he excused himself because he did not believe what he saw straightaway. 'How could I imagine that such a miracle can take place?' he added. "This was on a Saturday and next Monday my husband was working as if nothing had happened.”
