Saint Stanislaus Papczynski — The Life and Writings

mar Szypulski, the department chief and specialist of the I ntensive Care Unit. Dr. Irena Minarowska, a radiologist, reported: “On February 25, 2008, for the first time, I looked over her lung X-rays and examined her in the ICU. The patient had severe difficulty breathing, was pale, and in critical condition. We had to deal with a very serious injury of the lungs that prevented the ven- tilation of her lungs predominantly. Any work on the patient resulted in the worsening of her condition. The patient was very unstable. No matter what was tried on her, it provoked further instability. We wondered if the patient would survive, and if she survived, in what state. The status of the patient was so serious that she was in a constant state of critical condition. … Despite the lack of improvement in her clinical status, our team did not give up and carried on with the therapeutic pro- tocol for the whole time.” A multidisciplinary treatment plan was followed for the di- agnosis of Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) con- current with pneumonia. Aggressive treatment of symptoms included multiple antibiotics and mechanical ventilation on a respirator. Still, Barbara’s condition worsened. She went into a coma, developed multiple organ failure and septic shock, and remained in critical condition. ByMarch 19, Barbarawas not responding to targeted therapy. She remained in critical condition. Dr. Szypulski recognized that themedical teamhad exhausted all therapeuticmethods. He told the family that he considered her condition desperate and irre- versible and expected her death in a short time. Alfreda Rudzik, Barbara’s mother, deeply distraught, went to the parish church, where she encountered Anna Mazurek, her catechism teacher and the parish organist. In her efforts to console her, Anna suggested that Barbara’s family pray the Novena to Blessed Stanislaus Papczynski for her healing. Since Alfreda was not aware of these prayers, Anna gave her a novena booklet to guide her. That evening, together with her husband and Barbara’s fiancé, Alfreda began the novena. 169 Miracles and Graces