Costa Rican woman, Floribet Mora, who was cured miraculously of a cerebral aneurism through the intercession of John Paul II, has come to Rome for the canonization of the Polish Pope.
The shock she had when she was told that she had one month to live, her fear, the doctors’ astonishment on seeing the examinations after the moment of the miracle, the voice she heard and her certainty that it was John Paul II are things she shared with ZENIT.
ZENIT: What happened when you were told that you had a mortal aneurism and there was no cure?
Mora: When I was given the diagnosis I was shocked because I didn’t expect it and believed I was a healthy person. I had been many times to the hospital to have my five children. The worst came days later when I was told I had one month to live; that was the worst moment.
ZENIT: Then the doctors told you to go home?
Mora: Yes, it was incredible; I never expected such strong news. However, I held God’s hand tightly, praying for the intercession of John Paul II. And as the time drew near, I prayed to God to give me the strength, as I was afraid, but that God’s will be done and not mine, because His will must prevail over all.
ZENIT: Was there a particular moment in which you asked the Pope for his intercession?
Mora: He had not been beatified yet, although I always thought John Paul II was a Saint – not just now that he is going to be canonized. While he was alive I considered him a Saint, always, he was such a special person.
ZENIT: How did you realize a miracle had taken place?
Mora: When I heard a voice in my room that said to me: “get up,” and a second time, “get up and don’t be afraid.” There was a magazine there which had a photo of John Paul II on the cover and I saw the Pope’s hands jut out. Then I got out of bed, without fear, without agony, with an incredible peace, knowing that I was cured. And since that day I am standing for the glory of God.
ZENIT: How many examinations had you undergone before? Were there consultations in other countries?
Mora: We couldn’t consult in other countries, because we didn’t have the financial means for that. Meanwhile, I was seen by several neurologists in Costa Rica. First I had a TAC, then magnetic resonance and afterwards the arteriography.
ZENIT: Could the aneurism be seen in the arteriography and also in the other examinations?
Mora: The aneurism could be seen in all the examinations. For my part, I was sure of my immediate cure, although I didn’t have the financial means to confirm what I was saying. It was only seen six months later when I had the magnetic resonance done. I remember, and I have very clearly in mind, the astonishment on the doctor’s face, running from one side to another to ensure that they were the correct examinations. He didn’t understand the last examinations. He ran to the files because he said that a woman who had the cerebral impact that I had suffered couldn’t be well. I said to him: “I know I am cured. I am cured through the intercession of John Paul II.” Important for me were the medical examinations, because they were the proof of what I was saying, and not just my words.
ZENIT: And then?
Mora: Afterwards I was seen by several neurologists of Costa Rica, also of the private sector. And they were all astonished. I laughed a lot when they said, “Woman, who told you that you had an aneurism?” And then I was hospitalized here in Rome in October of 2012 at the Gemelli Clinic where I was seen by several neurologists who did various examinations: magnetic resonance, arteriography and others.
ZENIT: And do you have a scar or a trace of some sort?
Mora: That’s what is most important. There isn’t anything in the examinations that indicates that at some point I had an aneurism and not even a consequence in my physical part, which indicated that I suffered damage or a paraplegia on my left side.
ZENIT: Why did you entrust yourself to John Paul II and not to other Saints?
Mora: I always admired Padre Pio and I believe in his intercession; however, it was different with John Paul II. He was the first Pope to come to Costa Rica and he impressed us all. At that time I was a young 19-year-old. I saw him when he passed by the second avenue and then I was able to take part in a Mass that the Pope celebrated in La Sabana, where there were many young people. And although I saw him from afar, I didn’t need more than that to understand who he was.
ZENIT: When you heard that interior voice, in what language did you hear it?
Mora: In Spanish, his voice was strong; there was no room for doubt. I cannot doubt what I heard, I’m very sure of that.
[Translation by ZENIT]
