St. Giuseppe Moscati (July 25, 1880 to April 12, 1927)

   "Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."  (William James)

   My friend Melissa's husband went into the hospital Sunday with breathing problems from asthma. He's been hooked up to oxygen for several days. They are a young couple with an 18-month-old daughter. Melissa works long hours and with all that's going she still remains calm and positive.
  Unfortunately, sometimes we have to see another person's problems in order to put our own lives into perspective. Then, we can be thankful for what we have.  But, it shouldn't be that way.
  Melissa said she's confident that the doctors know what they're doing and that her husband is in good hands.  All she can do now is pray.
  For me, it brings to mind St. Giuseppe Moscati, a medical doctor who also performed miracles.He was the first modern day physician to be canonized a saint in 1987.
  St. Giuseppe Moscati was born in Benevento, Italy on July 25, 1880 to a wealthy family. He was one of the first doctors to experiment with the use of insulin for diabetics. He also was known for giving his money to the poor to help people that couldn't afford health care.
  St. Giuseppe Moscati's piety and love for humankind would seem unimaginable today. Hard economic times or not, doctors just don't do that today. Some won't even see you unless you have health insurance.
  St. Giuseppe Moscati was also a professor. He died on April 12, 1927 and is a patron saint of physicians. His feast day is Nov. 16.

St. Pantaleon (? to c.305)

When I made the decision to get a divorce from my husband, Brian, at age 26, my mother insisted I see a neuropsychiatrist and literally get my head examined. It wasn't because she liked Brian, since she didn't, but my mother wanted to make sure I was okay.
The doctor she chose was a renowned Jewish physician and author who was affiliated with Brown University. I will call him Dr. B.
I put up a fight about going for counseling since I made the right decision to leave my marriage. So, my basic attitude throughout the six or so months of sessions was to disagree with whatever Dr. B. had to say, especially since he was the same religion as Brian.
I told him my goal was to forget my marriage ever took place and his advice was to always remember it like the Nat King Cole song "Unforgettable." That way, I'd be able to recognize red flags in future relationships and not make the same mistakes.
Each week I'd say to Dr. B., "If you're as brilliant as everyone says, diagnose me with something." But, he couldn't because there was nothing wrong with me.
Dr. B. suggested I try Dexedrine because I had so much energy and needed to calm down. To the average person, it would be like taking speed. I was skinny to begin with (and still am) and the medication made me not want to eat which reduced my weight to 93 pounds.
He also gave me reading materials to take home and discuss at the next session. I never did anything he told me to do and one day he took an uncontrollable yelling fit. When I mentioned the outburst to a family friend who was a psychologist that knew Dr. B. as a calm and demure professional, he thought it was incredible that I got him to snap.
From that day forward, I thought Dr. B. had serious problems. And it rang true in 1995 when a patient he was treating, who was also a psychiatrist, shot and killed a person at a convenience store in East Providence. Dr. B. somehow thought it was his fault so gave up counseling. Last I heard he was working in Boston.
One of the patron saints of physicians is St. Pantaleon. He was born in Nicomedia and was the physician to Emperor Maximian. He was a bachelor who lived a wild life as a pagan until he experienced grief and despair for his behavior so returned to the church.
He gave free medicial assistance to the poor and many of his cures and healings were accomplished through prayer.
St. Pantaleon is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. He was martyred for his beliefs by being nailed to a tree and beheaded c.305. On St. Pantaleon's feast day, July 27, it is said that a vial of his blood, kept as a relic in Ravello, turns to liquid and bubbles. He is also known in Italy to give winning lottery numbers in dreams.

St. Gianna Beretta Molla (Oct. 4, 1922 to April 28, 1962)

This morning, when I was sitting in a waiting room, I was surrounded by many mothers and pregnant women all of whom, like myself, put their trust in our doctor. It made me want to write about St. Gianna Beretta Molla, a patron saint of mothers, physicians, and unborn children.
She even has children who are alive today. St. Gianna was born on Oct. 4 (Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi), 1922 in Magenta, Italy. She received a medical degree from the University of Pavia in 1949 and married Pietro Molla in 1955.
St. Gianna had four children. During her fourth pregnancy she was diagnosed with a large fibroma (benign tumor) in her uterus. She told her husband if he had to choose, that he should chose the baby. They had a daughter, Gianna Emanuela, born on April 21, 1962. St. Gianna contracted a high fever and stomach pains caused by septic peritonitis. She died on April 28, 1962 in Monza, Italy. Canonized: May 16, 2004. Her feast day is April 28.
Here is a wonderful Web site about St. Gianna Beretta Molla where you can learn her prayer and read about her family, miracles, shrine, and much more.