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By Dr. Kyprianos Christodoulidis
With the New Calendar today, March 2, the memory of Saint Nicholaos Planas is honored. I don't usually refer to miracles that have happened in my personal life. There are many and I've never attributed what I've experienced to chance.
But today, in honor of the celebrating Saint, I will refer to one, which is directly related to the fact that I can convey this narrative to you.
In 1928-30 there was an epidemic of typhoid fever in Athens. There was no treatment then and anyone who knows what typhoid fever means, the progression of the disease is fatal (without treatment) at a very high rate. Many died then. Among the patients was my then 10-year-old mother. She was being treated at our house.
One noon and while she was burning with fever, the door of her room opened and she saw Papa-Nicholas Planas entering. He went to her, did a cross over her and said to her:
"I came to make you well," and he left.
Immediately my mother called my grandmother and her mother, who were in the kitchen:
"Mom, mom, call the Papouli because I didn't kiss his hand."
My grandmother wondered, went outside and saw no one. Then she ran to our neighboring house of Mrs. Ourania Papadopoulos - later Nun Martha.
She was surprised and told her that the Papouli had not passed by at all. To note, my grandmother together with Mrs. Ourania Papadopoulos and other friends, received Papa-Nicholas Planas almost every week. He would visit Mrs. Ourania and spoke to them about various spiritual matters or answered their questions. He had also come to our house and my mother knew him.
After a few days my mother got better.
I convey this story to you exactly as my mother confided it to me, when I entered the Medical School of the University of Athens.
She had told me: "If it wasn't for Papa-Nicholas Planas, neither you nor I would be alive. Remember this."
And I always remember that.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
