In December 1989 our oldest daughter Charlotte was diagnosed with Leukaemia just weeks away from her fourteenth birthday on the 7 January. The world for her and her family was turned upside down.
In amongst her chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment and often prolonged stays in hospital we tried to hold down jobs and look after our younger children. Throughout this chaos was a voice that would not go away – it was that of our Parish Priest Monsignor of Lourdes, Patrick Corrigan. His message never changed, we needed to go to Lourdes!
The truth is I didn’t want to go. I was tired, fraught, stretched to the limit and felt quite a sense of relief when the paediatrician told him that she was too sick to travel. In 1991, the three of us, Monsignor, Charlotte and I left for our flight to Tarbes. I had run out of excuses and energy. I didn’t know what to expect, despite having Bernadette as my confirmation name, my knowledge of Lourdes was sketchy to say the least.
We were amazed by the beauty of the place and the sense of peace that prevailed. Heaven on earth! We prayed at the Grotto and knelt where Bernadette had knelt in front of the beautiful lady. We visited the Cachot where Charlotte realised she shared a birthday with St Bernadette. We took part in The Blessed Sacrament Procession, Charlotte in the voiture, I was by her side. As the priest blessed the sick with the large consecrated host I hoped and prayed that he would stop in front of Charlotte. He did and later she said that from that moment she knew that she was cured. Charlotte is now the proud mother of three little girls - Madeleine, Imogen and Florence!
In 1993 she joined the first school group of young people from BGN to work as handmaidens and brancardiers in Lourdes and BGN have been coming ever since.
The journey each year is still tough, there are always obstacles in the way. So why do I go to Lourdes? To bring young people as part of their journey in faith. To say thank you but mostly, because when I get there, I know that I have come home.
