By Sr. Marie Fay, SSC

This little story is typical of what so many missionaries do in far out places. This one had a happy ending. It was made possible because in the past people at home made sacrifices and sent help to Sr. Marie. We thank you for this help.

Victor’s home is in a village called Chiriac, high in the Andes mountains above the town of Recuay where we Sisters live. He lives with his mother and father, an older sister and their grandmother in a little shack n a very small farm.

One day h woke up crying, there was a searing pain in his hip. He had fallen off their donkey some time before and hurt his hip. How the pain was much worse. He had developed esteomyelitis, a painful injection of the bone.

The only place he could be treated was in Lima, a day’s journey by bus form Recuay. Victor’s parents were not able to afford the bus fares or the clinic expenses. His mother came to us with hope in her eyes that her son would one day be well again as she pleaded, “Sister, please, will you help us?”

Because of our good friends back home making sacrifices for us and sending us donations, we could say, “Yes, we will.”

For four years now victor has been in and out of plaster casts, in and out of Lima clinics. Every time he came back home his mother, who is tiny herself, had to carry him on her back for miles under a blazing sun up the narrow trail to Chiriac, and across rivulets. His father continues eking out an existence from the small farm. Still, every time they came for the travel money, they bought us a few fresh eggs or potatoes.

Last year after one of his operations, Victor wrote me a letter. I want to share this translation of it with you:

My very esteemed Sister Marie, I have the pleasure of greeting you lovingly, and with my short salutation to send you the following words:

Sister, here I am in good health, thanks be to God. I have recuperated quite a bit. Now happily I don’t have pain, I had pain when they operated on me and for about a week after. But is eased off little by little. Now it’s only the plaster cast that itches me!

Sister, I am grateful to you. If it weren’t for you, I would be dead and in the earth a long time ago. I always pray to our Lord for all the sick and the prisoners.

Sister, they took blood tests here and told my mother to go to the Blood Bank on the other side of the city. She gave her blood for me. I’ll say goodbye with a big hug and a kiss on the forehead. Chau, Chau, Victor.

This year Victor made his confirmation with ninety five others having attended the weekly classes for six months. He is back to school, too, which means walking up and down the trail from Chiriac to Recuay. So the dream his mother had for victor came true