A Fund for the Needy For more than twenty years I’ve been working at a university hospital. One day a patient arrived in my department of dermatology. None of my colleagues wanted to take care of her because of prejudice. Her blood tests had confirmed that she was suffering from AIDS. Since I couldn’t perform surgery on her, I began a different treatment using radiotherapy. Three months later she was doing better. Since we couldn’t keep her in hospital any longer and knowing that her children would not be able to care for her, I asked if she had other relatives who could help her. She had, but they lived in another state. So I asked my colleagues if they would contribute money for her ticket, since she couldn’t pay for it. We gathered enough money for the journey and also to help her family. When the patient left she was happy. Following this experience my colleagues and I decided to begin a fund to help out patients in need. How many people have been helped over the years thanks to that fund! (K. L.- India) The Prescription I’m forty years old and suffer from asthma. When I found myself expecting a child, the obstetrician proposed abortion. I said no. The doctor explained to me that I had to choose between my life and the baby’s, mine being more important since I have other children. I was disturbed and unable to understand how I could kill this innocent creature. Seeing my condition my husband left the decision to me. Then I was given the prescription for a medicine “very important for my health.” My husband bought it.  I don’t read very well, but a doubt came to my heart. I asked for more information. That injection would produce an abortion. I didn’t take it and entrusted myself to God. When the pains began I was frightened. I wrote my will, entrusting my children to relatives. I cleaned the house and went to hospital. This delivery turned out much easier than the others, with no complications. My husband wanted to take the baby to the obstetrician and show her. I preferred not: for me it was a personal experience of God’s love and I couldn’t gloat but only thank Him.  (D. A. – Costa d’Avorio) Falling in Love Again That day there was a lot of tension between me and my husband. “Is something wrong?” I asked him. He replied: “You don’t need a crystal ball to understand it.” In his opinion I didn’t understand his needs. It was true, but I said to myself: “But, is it possible that with so many beautiful things going on in our lives, he gets stuck in front of the one thing that’s not going well?” We went to bed pouting. The next day I thought: “We’re a team, to resolve him I have to work on myself, to soften my heart and ask forgiveness.” I couldn’t do it. To make him happy I postponed an appointment we had that evening, so he could watch the European Cup. But to truly begin again we had to clear the air. So, one night, despite our tiredness and other responsibilities, we went out and, little by little were able to open up and talk, which hasn’t happened in a long time. We looked at one another differently and understood one another. I’d say we fell in love again.  (G. S.- Italy)