During the time of my mother’s last illness, I purchased a Miraculous Medal prayer card, a Lourdes prayer card, an Immaculate Heart prayer card, and an Our Lady of Perpetual Help prayer card from the hospital gift shop.

My mother had a maximum amount of medical care during May through September 2017. She was 81 and had made the choice to have her kidney removed for cancer that doctors had found. (Part of mother’s life had been spent as a registered nurse.)

The surgery went well and after the initial recuperation, she did not need any pain medication they expected her to need. A most amazing thing! Thanks be to God.

Later on, she needed another separate surgery and, surprisingly, the doctors had to resuscitate her, because her heart had failed during that surgery.  They told us they did not know if she would regain her mind when she awoke. But she did. And they were speedily able to remove her from the ventilator she had needed temporarily. Again, a most amazing thing! Thanks be to God.

In order to be cleared back for the surgery that was stopped, she would need a heart test that would harm her remaining kidney so she would then always need dialysis. She could not be cleared for surgery without the heart test, so she (and the family) approved it.

The doctors were also trying to figure out why her heart was stronger after she had been resuscitated. Sometime before my mother had her first kidney surgery, she had been told she should have a defibrillator put in, but she had chosen not to have that surgery earlier because she hadn’t thought that she could survive it. So here she was, after heart stopping and resuscitation, with a heart that for some mysterious reason showed numbers that would no longer need a defibrillator at all. Again, an amazing thing!  Thanks be to God.

They split the required heart test into two parts because of her condition. The first test went well but after the next test she began to bleed, which is something that can’t happen with that type of procedure. Then she decided to go into hospice, a choice the family made sure was her true choice.  She was able to return to skilled care at her senior community for hospice.

Hospice progressed but her hands, perhaps because of the kidney damage, both blackened a great deal. One of her legs was swollen, no surgery had been done, and her heels were propped on pillows and being specially treated.

One day, one of my nieces visited, and I thought I should hide my mother’s blackened hands under the covers. But then I thought better of it. It would seem to be “hiding,” which would be inappropriate. My niece held one of my mother’s hands the whole time and we gave them some time alone.

The next day I noticed one of my mother’s hands was perfectly normal. I did not tell my sister because I thought she would not believe me, but that later she could see for herself. When she came, she found that both of my mother’s hands were no longer blackened, but completely normal and her leg no longer swollen, and it was perfectly symmetrical! In her last 2½ days, her body had reverted and perfected.

She was completely lucid all the time, but one time my sister indicated my mother had discussed the timing of something with someone who only she saw. Apparently, this is somewhat common. We later realized that the brief discussion had turned out to be precisely about the time of her passing. After my mother’s peaceful passing, I began to review on the computer what “incorrupt” saints were exactly.

Immediately my computer search came up with pictures of the exact incorrupt saints of the prayer cards I had prayed with: Catherine Labouré and Bernadette Soubirous. One day, as I told my sister about this and I also mentioned the Immaculate Heart prayer card, I realized that the word ”Immaculate” can also mean incorrupt.

I realized that three of the cards that I had chosen were cards relating to the Immaculate, and I had seen a great sign of the Immaculate Conception.

Thank you.~L.T.