Floribeth Mora, a grandmother and the mother of three children, was on her deathbed, suffering from an incurable brain aneurysm in 2011 when she claims that something profound happened.
Mora's inoperable aneurysm purportedly disappeared in the blink of an eye, what she believes is the result of a God-ordained miracle. And now, she's become a symbol of the Catholic faith, giving credit to the late Pope John Paul II.
After being sent home in April 2011 with medication to treat the aneurysm, Mora thought she would die. But then she claims a photograph of the pontiff helped heal her. When she looked at the picture while laying in bed one day, Mora claims she heard the following words: "Stand up. Don't be afraid."
FILE - In this July 5, 2013 file photo, Floribeth Mora stands by her shrine to Pope John Paul II inside the entrance to her home in La Union de Cartago, Costa Rica. Mora, her doctors and the Catholic Church say her aneurysm disappeared in May of 2011 in a miracle that cleared the way for the late pope to be declared a saint. Mora will attend the ceremony at the Vatican on April 27, 2014 as a guest of honor. (AP Photo/Enrique Martinez, File)
Some might dismiss the notion that Pope John Paul II spoke through an image of his likeness, but doctors and the Catholic Church both say that her aneurysm disappeared that very day.
It didn't take long for word to reach the Vatican and the rest is, well, history.
After all, it was Mora's claim that helped lead the Catholic Church to declare the pontiff a saint -- something that will officially unfold April 27, as Deseret News reported.
Now, Mora is gaining attention in her home country of Costa Rica and beyond. The focus has been so intense, in fact, that she's put her law studies on hold and is serving as a full-time ambassador of the faith.
"I've got so much to do that I'm going to dedicate myself above all to telling the world the story of God's greatness and what it's done for me," she recently told the Associated Press.
A couple visits the John Paul II Sanctuary in Krakow-Lagiewniki, Poland on April 6, 2014. In Poland late Pope John Paul II is a national hero and top moral authority -- even today -- and is beloved like nowhere else. (JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
Mora attends multiple masses each day and has been inundated with letters from the faithful. As for Pope John Paul II, she fully credits him with her recovery.
"It's important for them to name him a saint, but for me he's already a saint," she told the AP. "I never imagined I would become a part of all of this."
"Everyone can think what they want," she added. "What I know is that I am healthy."
(H/T: Deseret News)
