On Becoming the Daughter of a Queen
Did You Know That Your Sickness Can Become a Greater Blessing?
Be encouraged by the inspiring testimony of Colleen and John Willard as they share their life story of miraculous healing, which took place at Medjugorje in 2003.
The story begins in January of 2001. John and Colleen Willard were living a good Catholic life with their three sons, in the suburbs of Chicago. It was then when Colleen developed a back pain for which she had to consult a doctor.
John: The doctor said Colleen had a herniated disc, which was causing pain down her left leg and foot. She needed surgery and the operation was successful. But six weeks later, I found her in intense pain—in her entire body. We rushed her to the emergency room and spent the next 10 days in the hospital. They did every test you can think of but they could not figure out from where the pain was coming. On the 10th day, the doctor came into the room and was going through all the paperwork. On one page she stopped abruptly, looked over the top of her glasses and said, “By the way, did you know that you have a brain tumor?”
Colleen: It was as if something hit me like a brick …
John: We immediately tried to get admission into the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. There was a lot of paperwork to do. Somehow all these were done in a smooth way …
Colleen: I was wrapped in 24-hour pain. Our family room now was a hospital bed and the livelihood in our family was totally down the hill because “Mom was sick all the time.” I had metabolic bone disease, adrenal insufficiency, severe osteomalacia, lymphedema, and pulmonary disease, while the 24-hour pain was extreme. Very quickly I was put on the highest doses of narcotics— nearly 8o times more addictive than heroin—but it still was not alleviating the pain. For me, the most important thing was to find out about my brain tumor. I knew from the neurosurgeons in Chicago that it was one thing that I was not going to be able to live with at all.
Sadly, we learned the tumor was inoperable. Located in the center of the brain, the tumor was in an area that tells your heart to beat, lungs to breathe and where the motor system of the entire body is. Moreover, it was wrapped around a major blood vessel. It was too risky to even do a biopsy. When we came home that day, I had to be lifted and put in the hospital bed as I was very tired. I remember asking my little son to bring the crucifix and hang it at the foot of my hospital bed. Born and raised in a Catholic home, I had looked at many crosses in my life. Unlike any other, this time I looked at Jesus and said to Him, “I know that You haven’t given this to me as a punishment. You must see something in me that I do not—I put my faith in You.” Then I asked my son to open the Bible and read it to me. My son opened to the writings of Saint Paul where He talks about “How carrying the cross is a joy” and I prayed, “Lord, there must be joy in carrying this cross. This is scripture; there are no lies in there.” I realized I needed to do one thing: to offer all my pain, sorrow and everything else up to Jesus and unite it to Him. I began to pray the rosary 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I got my house in order, wrote notes to my children and got all the things done that one does when one knows life is ending. The next day, our Blessed mother sent someone home who had been taking pilgrims to Medjugorje. She told us about her upcoming trip. At this point my voice was raspy and low. One night when John came home I asked him, “Would you like to take me to Medjugorje?” The desire to go was very strong.
John: I knew I was going to hear that voice for the rest of my life and so I said, “Sure, we will go to Medjugorje,” but I knew we would not be able to go because we did not have enough money.
Colleen: I answered the phone to talk with a man from the Knights of Columbus. Our Lady opened had up all the connections; the man on the phone had enough money to pay for two airline tickets and $200 left for souvenirs.
I said to John, “Guess what?! Our lady is calling us to Medjugorje!”
We had no idea what to expect at Medjugorje … we were going there to pray but the first day … (Colleen looks at John.)
John: The first day we were supposed to go to the hill of apparitions. There was some confusion and we were led to a talk by Vicka the visionary.
Colleen: In the meantime, John took me in a wheelchair. There were nearly 350 people gathered in a porch-like area in Vicka’s home. She was telling the story of how Our Lady took her to see heaven, hell and purgatory. I had heard from the testimony of Vicka that the Blessed Mother held her hands. I said a prayer quietly, in my own heart: If only I could see the visionary then it would be like seeing you, dear Blessed Mother because you took her to heaven. My prayer got greedier and I said to Our Lady, if only I could touch the hands you held then it would be like
holding yours. All of a sudden I heard the words through the microphone “moment, momento” and I didn’t know what it meant. The next thing I saw was the crowd separating just like how Moses divided the sea and Vicka was walking toward me, smiling at me, as if I was a long- lost friend. She only said two words to me: “Praise God.” I simply admitted that I had not come for myself but for all those who had asked me to pray for them, for those who I said I would pray for, even those I had not seen since I was a baby. I pleaded to her, “Please, would you ask our Lady to answer the desires of their heart?” and she said, “Yes, I will.” Suddenly, she made a sign of the cross on my forehead; the minute she put her hand on my head, I could no longer hear any outward sound, nor sense any movement or anyone around me. There was intense heat, unlike anything I had ever felt. It was like heated coils going all through the inside of my head. However, that was secondary to the presence of God.
John: After that, we went for the 10:00 am holy mass and were sitting at the back of the church.
Colleen: And right before the consecration of the Holy Eucharist, before the bread was turned into the body of Christ and wine into the blood of Christ, I heard the most the beautiful voice of Our Lady—it was so clear and audible.
“Now will you give your whole heart and your whole soul to my Son?” I said “Yes.”
“And will you give your whole heart and your whole soul to Our Father?” she asked and there was such an emphasis on the word “Your.” I said, “Yes, I will.”
“And will you give your whole heart and whole soul to my spouse the Holy Spirit?” Again, I said, “Yes, I will.”
Then she said, “Now, my daughter, you are my daughter.”
When I opened my eyes, a priest was standing, in front of me with the Holy Eucharist. The minute The eucharistic host was placed on my tongue, I experienced the same thing that had happened to me when Vicka had prayed for me; I could not hear a sound or anything around me; everything became silent and then I realized Our Lady was asking me to give everything to Jesus. At the moment when the Eucharistic host was placed on my tongue, all the heat that had been with me when Vicka had prayed over me was leaving and, with it, all the 24-hour pain …
John: And all the pain she felt … the 24-hour pain had left her completely by then …
Colleen: It left as soon as I received the Holy Communion. Later that evening I got out of the wheelchair for the first time. I remember the first two words I wanted to say and those were, “Praise God!” I had back my voice back as well. I was able to swallow, eat and be touched; I was able to stand on my own without assistance. When we got back and met the doctors, including the pulmonary specialist who said, “There’s no way that your oxygen level has can go from where it was at to where it is at now—without divine intervention.” And we went to Mayo clinic … (Colleen beaming at John now.)
John: It was the same … The doctors were in a sort of precarious position because they were the ones who diagnosed Colleen’s condition. None of the things she had were reversible. Suddenly they had to explain what happened and it was beautiful. (Smiling)
Colleen: We cried along with doctors. The blood work came back normal, with no more adrenaline insufficiency, but what I was waiting to find out was about the brain tumor. It was then that the neurosurgeon came, put his arms around me and said, “Mrs. Willard, you are the third miracle I have seen from Medjugorje …”
I felt Jesus telling me, “You were not healed because your illness was greater than anyone else’s. You were healed for your family, the community and the entire world.” That is why we are sharing this testimony with you. We hope your heart will be drawn closer to the love of God and the Blessed mother’s intercession will be there always in your life. We would like to close this testimony with two words that Vicka said to us; we pray that the world resounds with these words—“Praise God!”
COLLEEN AND JOHN WILLARD © shared their story through the feature program “Mary My Mother” on Shalom World TV. To watch the episode visit: https://www.shalomworldtv.org/videos/index/1273
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