a special day

My good friend Amy commented on my last post that this seems to good to be true. She is right!! My heart is so full & I love this place so, so much. It is an amazing experience to wake up and live each day knowing that it is a concrete answer to a prayer. The blessings have been so extravagant this summer, and only God knows why.

Today was a very special day. Dr. Murgo arranged for a meeting with Dr. Gusso, who was the very first medical director of the hospital, chosen by Padre Pio himself. Dr. Gusso is a beautiful man. He shared with me some of his memories, his wisdom, and his great love for Padre Pio. This all was a very special blessing. I wrote down what he said nearly word for word, and am looking forward to the ways I might be able to share these experiences with others. That is a prayer of mine as the summer moves along because I know that these experiences aren't just for me.

Standing between representatives of the past and the present of this great hospital, Dr. Murgo and Dr. Gusso

Dr. Murgo is an absolutely wonderful person, and is the one who so graciously extended the invitation for me to come to the hospital this summer. I had heard about the hospital and had a very strong desire to spend the summer here. I searched online and his was the address that I was able to find. I sent him an e-mail on February 3rd and on February 4th I received his reponse:

Dear Nicole,
I’m pleased for your letter in which you say that is your hope to come in Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza... I think that you will be able to come here and see our way of work. You must ask an authorization to the General director of the Hospital and to the Sanitary Director, in which you indicate the period and the Unit that you want to attend... I will be happy to have you in my Unit (you can ask it). The website of the hospital is: www.operapadrepio.it.
Ok, good luck, let me know every thing.
By, Roberto Murgo

So it began!! It's hard to believe that was just 5 months ago, and it's amazing to me how everything worked out for writing the project proposal, receiving funding from Pitt, etc. Wow. I am truly in awe. What are the chances of all of this happening?? Finding an e-mail address for a doctor who not only happens to speak English, but also has a heart of gold and generosity beyond compare. He and his wife Elvira told me the day that I arrived that they wanted to host me as if I were their own daughter. They have given me the most lovely little apartment to live in right by the hospital, and have been so wonderful to me. I truly don't know how to thank them. I will be grateful to this good man for the rest of my life!! If you would like to, please help me thank him by saying a prayer in thanksgiving for him and his wife. Thank you!

This is the hallway of the thoracic surgery unit. At this statue of Our Lady the patients gather to pray the rosary each evening.

Here are a few more pictures from the hospital. The statue is at the main entry, at the top of the first main staircase. The posters and signs are typical of the types of things you see walking through the hospital.

"Totus Tuus" was Pope John Paul II's apostolic motto. It means "totally yours."

"Padre Pio bless always the hearts, hands and minds of those who work in your 'home'."