The fact of God's help from Irina 25.07.2024

This is a living testimony of God’s help through prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos with the Akathists "Softening of Evil Hearts" and "Pantanassa." In a small town in southern Italy, there lives a family: spouses Joseph and Lucrezia and their two sons, Matthew and Vito. For 33 years of marriage, Joseph and Lucrezia lived in constant quarrels, sometimes on the verge of divorce. The main reason was Joseph’s mother, who was always his top priority. Ten years ago, when their youngest son, Vito, turned 18, they learned that he had multiple sclerosis. This shocking news briefly distracted them from their conflicts, but only for a while. They gradually got used to the disease, but old grievances continued to eat away at their marriage. When yet another argument reached its peak, their son’s health suddenly deteriorated—he would just shut down. The parents realized how much their conflicts were hurting him and that they could lose him, so they decided to stop fighting and simply tolerate each other in silence. They lived like this, in quiet (almost quiet) hatred. However, women tend to voice their suffering. Lucrezia often confided in her close friends, including Lucia, Joseph’s sister, complaining about her unbearable husband and how she had long dreamed of leaving him. Eventually, emotions overflowed, and Lucia told her brother what his wife had been saying. This led to the scandal of all scandals. Lucrezia was deeply offended and declared that from that moment on, all of Joseph’s relatives were dead to her and would never set foot in their home again. Joseph responded in kind regarding her relatives. Thus, they lived in hatred and isolation… until last year. In March 2020, Joseph began experiencing severe abdominal pain that worsened over time, making it almost impossible for him to eat. After medical examinations, he was diagnosed in August with a 15 cm sarcoma in his intestines. When I learned about my brother-in-law’s illness, I decided that we all needed to pray for him. First, I convinced Lucia to pray daily with the "Our Father," "Hail Mary," and "I Believe" prayers, along with three Psalms (I printed out Psalms 90, 50, and 26 for her). Later, Lucia decided to fast on bread and water every Friday for her brother. One time, we even prayed the Rosary together for Joseph. She also started attending church on Sundays. Lucrezia began praying every morning for her family and all the sick. I submitted Joseph’s name for prayer in Bolgar and started praying the Akathist to Pantanassa. I asked all my believing friends to pray for him and his family. My husband, Anthony, gave up sweets on Fridays for his brother’s sake. In this way, each of us, in our own way, began pleading with God for Joseph’s healing. I gave him a small icon of the Theotokos "Healing" and asked him to always keep it with him. Joseph was in terrible condition—he couldn’t eat or sleep, his pain was constant, he became extremely thin and darkened, and it was painful to look at him. A month and a half after the diagnosis, a repeat scan showed that the tumor had grown to 19 cm! Surgery was urgently needed, but the tumor had wrapped around an abdominal artery, making the operation life-threatening. Chemotherapy for this type of tumor was not very effective, but there were no other options. They decided to administer strong chemotherapy, with each cycle lasting three days. After each infusion, Joseph became completely weak, unable to even sit up, constantly vomiting. His wife became his full-time caregiver, attending to him 24/7. My husband and I frequently visited, and I gave him injections to help him recover after chemotherapy. There were times when he was in such bad shape that we had to take him to the emergency room for a blood transfusion. Meanwhile, their younger son’s illness was also progressing—sometimes he couldn’t walk. He needed physiotherapy, doctor visits, and home 4 treatments, which temporarily improved his condition before worsening again. Amidst this suffering, Lucia and Lucrezia reconciled without any formal discussions—faced with such tragedy, past grievances were set aside. My husband also grew much closer to his brother during this time. But the most important thing was that I started noticing small signs of love between the spouses. When Joseph recovered slightly after another round of chemotherapy, Lucrezia would cook his favorite dishes daily, and he delighted in eating them, saying that his wife was spoiling him. He even began feeling sorry for her, realizing that she spent so much time in the kitchen catering to the family’s tastes. He decided that once he recovered, he would buy her a new kitchen with a dishwasher! It is heartwarming to see such signs of care and love in a family that spent over 30 years in quarrels and hatred. Previously, Lucrezia complained bitterly, saying she had lived in hell all her life and that God had burdened them with their son’s illness, and now, on top of that, her husband’s disease—as if their existence hadn’t already been miserable enough. But recently, to my surprise, she told me, "Now I understand that if it weren’t for our son’s illness, we would have divorced long ago. And if it weren’t for my husband’s illness, we wouldn’t have softened toward each other. My husband never appreciated me before, but now he has become attentive and kind." Yesterday, Joseph underwent an ultrasound because doctors planned to perform another biopsy (the first one, done in September last year, had not been successful for various reasons). But the radiologist said he wouldn’t attempt the procedure because the tumor was now too small and hard to locate, and he feared damaging the artery. To get a clearer picture, a CT scan with contrast would be needed. Our joy knew no bounds!!! The words "very small" were an answer to our prayers and hopes. Could this really have happened?! One phrase kept running through my mind and spilling from my lips: GLORY TO GOD!!! Although the tumor is still there, it was once a rapidly growing 19 cm mass! Almost eight months have passed since we learned of the terrifying diagnosis. Joseph now feels well, eats normally, has gained some weight, and no longer has abdominal pain. His hair fell out, but that’s a minor issue. He is still undergoing chemotherapy, but it is now much milder. We do not yet know how his treatment will progress or whether he will be completely healed. God knows what is best for us. I trust in His divine will and His love for us, though we are negligent and sinful. Sadly, people like us need such heavy crosses for our correction… May God grant us all wisdom to live righteously so that we do not need to be humbled and softened through severe trials