Delizia Cirollie

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The tale of John Traynor has been told countless times since its occurrence in the 1920s. It is interesting to note, however, that the Roman Catholic hierarchy did not proclaim his recovery as being literally miraculous in origin.

One such case that the Vatican did consider to be an example of a miracle was the case of Delizia Cirollie. Her experience at Lourdes, and her subsequent cure, is one of the most recent incidents at the shrine to be approved by the Vatican as being the result of heavenly intervention.

Delizia was a twelve-year-old girl who lived in a small village near Mount Etna in Sicily when in 1976 her right knee began causing her severe pain. She was referred to a specialist clinic at the University of Catania, where an X-ray and biopsy revealed a huge protuberance of bone.

It was a far worse condition than had been thought. Because Delizia was a minor, the decision rested with her parents as to what the next course of action should be, and they refused to heed the advice of the medical team, who informed them that amputation would be the most humane method of combating such a crippling disease.

Delizia's parents were able to afford a visit to Lourdes in August of that year as a result of the sympathy and generosity of her family, friends and neighbours, although initially it seemed that the pilgrimage would have no beneficial effect whatsoever, with no signs of any miraculous healing process on her afflicted knee, despite the daily rituals that she so faithfully performed.

In fact, the growth on her knee began to protrude even more, and, despite the continued prayers for her recovery and her daily intake of water from the spring, most people, including Delizia herself, were sadly accepting that the young girl had very little time left to live.

Then, in December of that year, the miracle happened. She was able to walk again, albeit a short distance at first, but soon she was able to walk for long periods of time without feeling any pain. Her convalescence was finally complete when the protuberance on her knee disappeared.

The medical experts at Lourdes held differing views on the precise nature of the growth, and it was not until several years later that it was diagnosed that Delizia had been suffering from a rare form of cancer known as Ewing's tumour-a disease that nobody before Delizia had recovered from.