An unexpected journey in search of a cure

Introduction:

Sometimes teenagers find it hard to be taken seriously. Adults can dismiss their opinions and visions as idealistic and unrealistic. Especially when it comes to matters of faith. This makes it hard for young people to have the courage to speak out, just like Siobhan in this story.
Scene: A young and innocent Irish girl has moved to London to work as a nanny in the family of a rich and powerful oil Sheikh. She opens an email exchange with her mother which tells her unfolding story of the challenging situation that she finds herself in.

From: Siobhan Doyle
Subject: Hello from London!
To: Una Doyle 25/07/2014 20:05
Hi ma!
See, I told you we’d be able to stay in touch better than just texting. I can email you every evening when the children are settled in bed.
It’s only been a week but it feels like a lifetime. I sometimes have to pinch myself to make sure it’s all real. This little girl from Dingle who’s never even been to Dublin now living in an amazing mansion in Knightsbridge with one of the most powerful Sheikhs in the world and his family. Hey, before this, I’d only been to Cork to catch the plane over here – London is enormous!
I miss the sounds and smells of the sea and I miss my home and my family, of course I do. But this is such a fantastic experience and I intend to make the most of it.
The children are really cute and very well-behaved. Aisha is nearly two and loves playing with my curly red hair. I guess she’s never felt or seen hair like it before! Akeem is four and a typical boy. Needs loads of exercise so we visit the park every day.
I can see now why they chose me as nanny for the children. Having a Western woman in an entourage like this is really unusual, so to choose someone as inexperienced in the ways of the world as me is a good compromise. Mr and Mrs Mubarak want the kids to grow up integrated in the West but not tainted by the bad stuff that goes on. I can see that. You see some pretty weird and wonderful things on the streets of London, I can tell you. I didn’t have to worry about standing out as a blow-in – everyone’s a blow-in from somewhere else in this city.
Anyway, enough for now,
Love you Mammy,
Siobhan

From: Una Doyle
Subject: So good to hear from you
To: Siobhan Doyle 26/07/2014 06:37
Dear Siobhan,
It was lovely to see your email this morning. I will look on the computer every evening now. See, I can do technology – although if you saw how long this was taking me to type, you would understand that it may be short. Breakfast will be late for the boys this morning!
Everyone’s asking about you, my love. Mrs Brady next door frets about you. She has nothing good to say about England and especially the capital. Still, she watches Eastenders and thinks the whole of London is like that. I’m sure your mansion is nothing like Albert Square.
Be a good girl. Stay true to yourself, because I love you just the way you are.
Ma x

From: Siobhan Doyle
Subject: Mr Mubarak
To: Una Doyle 26/07/2014 21:20
Hi ma!
Sorry this is later tonight. It took longer to settle the children as doctors have been in and out of the house all day. It’s Mr Mubarak. He has a rare skin disease called congenital erythropoietic porphyria (CEP), which has lots of horrible symptoms. I had no idea until today. He is a very private man and although he is in pain with blisters and ulcers on his skin, he keeps them covered and makes no fuss.
I did wonder why he wears sunglasses all the time – his eyes are really sensitive to light because of the illness too. Anyway, CEP causes severe anaemia and Mr Mubarak collapsed with exhaustion today so that’s why the doctors have been here. It doesn’t help that it’s Ramadan so he hasn’t been eating well enough either. I feel so sorry for him.
Mrs Mubarak is frantic with worry. There is no cure. It’s so sad.
Love you Mammy,
Siobhan

From: Siobhan Doyle
Subject: Mr Mubarak
To: Una Doyle 26/07/2014 22:01
Dear Siobhan,
That is so sad, my love. Tell him I’ll light a candle and put in a prayer intention when I go to the church tomorrow. I’ve never heard of that illness but it sounds like an awful burden to bear.
Ma x

From: Siobhan Doyle
Subject: Religion
To: Una Doyle 27/07/2014 20:17
Hi ma!
Mr Mubarak is no better. The children are very unsettled and hard to entertain. They know something is wrong and can’t understand why their daddy’s in bed and their mammy’s crying all the time.
Thank you for remembering the family in your prayers. I pray too but I could never tell them that. They have a different religion, remember. I’m just a little Catholic girl from the Republic of Ireland and he is Sheikh Ahmed al Mubarak from Qatar, head of a powerful oil corporation. I don’t get to talk to him about anything as personal as faith.
Keep praying though. The only thing that could make any difference is a bone marrow transplant. They have to find a good match though and the only possibility is Mr Mubarak’s brother, who is flying in from Qatar and arriving tomorrow.
Love you Mammy,
Siobhan

From: Una Doyle
Subject: Keep your head down
To: Siobhan Doyle 27/07/2014 21:42
Dear Siobhan,
Ah yes, I see. I’d forgotten that not everyone is a Catholic in the rest of the world for a moment. In that case, you’re right. Keep your head down and keep out of trouble. You mustn’t interfere. I’ve told Father David about the situation you’re in.
I made Boxty tonight and remembered it was your favourite. The boys were happy enough to have extra on their plates of course. They’re all grand and their craic and laughter do me good.
Miss you, my little girl,
Ma x

From: Siobhan Doyle
Subject: Miss you too, ma
To: Una Doyle 28/07/2014 22:08
Sorry it’s so late, ma, hope you haven’t been worrying.
Ramadan finished today so the children have been up late eating sweets and celebrating. They were reluctant to go to bed of course.
Not that there’s a lot to celebrate here. Mr Mubarak’s brother is not a close enough match and the bone marrow transplant cannot go ahead. It’s a really risky operation, you see, and they have to be sure it will work.
Mrs Mubarak invited me to sit and drink tea with her this afternoon when the children were with their tutor. She was glad to talk, I think. She explained that since her husband’s diagnosis five years ago, he has been making generous donations to research into curing CEP with gene therapy. This research will make good progress over the next decade, but it’s too late for Mr Mubarak of course.
Isn’t it sad how you can have all the money in the world and not be able to buy a cure?
Of course, this research could be vital for his children. Tragically, they both have the disease too. The first sign in young children is red urine, apparently, and Mrs Mubarak broke her heart when she saw that.
I’ve come across the website for The Sanctuary of our Lady of Lourdes and have placed a petition for Mr Mubarak at the Grotto of Lourdes online. Maybe our Lady will listen and help this lovely family.
Love you Mammy,
Siobhan
From: Una Doyle
Subject: Lourdes
To: Siobhan Doyle 29/07/2014 06:34
Dear Siobhan,
Sorry I waited to this morning to reply. My concentration isn’t great late at night, you know that.
The Lourdes website sounds interesting. Do you remember the Ahern clan went when the little girl had cancer and they had a blessed time there? It’s a very special place. It’s a shame you can’t get your boss to go there.
I have a busy day today. Davy is bringing his new girlfriend for tea and I want to make a good impression. It’s time that lad settled down with a good wife.
Take care, my girl,
Ma x

From: Siobhan Doyle
Subject: Lighting a candle
To: Una Doyle 29/07/2014 20:07
Hi ma!
I paid 4 euros to add a candle to my prayer intention on the Lourdes website today. It blows my mind that there have been candles burning there continuously since 19 February 1858 as a tangible sign of prayer.
It’s been a ‘soft old day’ here today as granda would have said. Here they say it like it is. Miserable. Dark. Rainy. I’ve tried to shine a little light into the darkness in this house today, the best I can. The children and I decorated cards for Mr Mubarak. We got to take them to him in his room. The children were distressed to see their daddy lying in the bed so weak and breathless. They were scared by the blisters covering his arms and couldn’t understand why his eyes were so puffy and half his eye lashes were missing. I had to work hard to answer their questions and comfort them afterwards, even though it had really upset me too to see him like this. I wish you were here, mammy, you would know what to do.
Even though I feel pretty useless and inadequate, I’m starting to wonder if our Lady sent me here at this time for this reason. Maybe I am meant to be here. I’ve been reading about Bernadette Soubirous and the visions she had at Lourdes all those years ago – and she seems a bit like me! She was small for her age too and always looked younger than she was. She suffered a bit from asthma like me, and she even struggled to remember stuff like the Catechism – remember how hard I found it for my First Holy Communion!
Seriously though, she then developed stomach problems and anxiety about money worries and tensions in family. I know how hard you and da have found it with a big family in the current economic climate. I didn’t want to be a burden. That’s why I came to London. It’s time for me to be independent and earn a living of my own. You’ve done so much for me.
I love you Mammy. And Da too.
Siobhan
From: Una Doyle
Subject: Attach a warning next time
To: Siobhan Doyle 29/07/2014 21:22
Ah my baby girl, you made me cry, you know. You have to warn me next time you’re going to go all soppy on me.
I’m so proud of you and what you’re doing, you know. All those miles away in the big city, shining your light and helping people just like you did here in Dingle.
We have to believe that praying to our Lady makes a difference. I will keep praying and you must keep lighting the candles at Lourdes.
God bless, my angel,
Ma x

From: Siobhan Doyle
Subject: Big news!
To: Una Doyle 30/07/2014 22:20
Ma, you’ll never guess what! We’re going to Lourdes. We’re packing up tonight and flying to Pau in the South of France tomorrow! It’s nearly as far as Spain, you know!
You’ll be wondering how it all came about. I couldn’t stay quiet and watch Mr Mubarak suffer like this any longer. I spoke to Mrs Mubarak about the Water of Lourdes Shipping Service, where you can order the water to be delivered to your home. I wanted permission to order some for her husband. She made me show her the website and she told Mr Mubarak all about it and they decided they wanted to go and see for themselves!
I know they are a different religion but the message of Lourdes is that God is love and he loves us as we are, so I don’t think it matters what religion you are. Mr Mubarak is taking a great risk as he could catch an infection easily and his bones are fragile so he will have to go in a wheelchair.
So I won’t be able to talk to you for a couple of days. I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.
Love you mammy,
Siobhan

From: Una Doyle
Subject: What courage!
To: Siobhan Doyle 31/07/2014 06:01
Darling Siobhan,
I got up early to check my inbox because I was worried I hadn’t heard last night. This is such good news for Mr Mubarak and you are such a brave girl. It must have taken a lot of courage to talk to your employers about your faith. I am so proud of you. Cannot wait to hear how it goes.
You are always with me in my heart,
Ma x

From: Siobhan Doyle
Subject: We’re back!
To: Una Doyle 3/08/2014 20:34
Ma,
I’m so tired but I just wanted to let you know we are back safe and sound. Lourdes was everything I hoped it would be. God’s love was all around us. 80 000 sick or disabled people from all over the world come to Lourdes each year and all the volunteers and nurses and doctors are so kind.
I don’t know how to describe what it felt like to enter the grotto. When I touched the rock, I was reminded how God is solid as a rock. Mr Mubarak wasn’t sure what to do. He was instructed to drink muddy water from the spring and eat bitter herbs, just as Bernadette had done, all those years before. His entourage tried to stop him. Dirty water could kill him. I was scared too. If this went wrong, I would be the one to blame.
‘Pray to your God for me.’ he said to me as he took the water. I did. I prayed so hard. I didn’t know what else to do.
There was no instant miracle cure, but Mr Mubarak did seem more positive and a bit more energetic on the journey home. His skin seemed less irritable and he was in less pain.
The doctors will be in to see him tomorrow. We’ll have to see what they say.
Off to bed now.
I love you Mammy,
Siobhan

From: Una Doyle
Subject: Up to God now
To: Siobhan Doyle 3/08/2014 20:42
I love you too, baby. Sleep well. You have done all you can do. Now only God can do the rest.
Good night and God bless,
Ma x

Discussion Questions
1. When do people turn to prayer? Why? How does it help?
2. Why does Una advise her daughter to keep her head down? Have you ever been encouraged to keep quiet about something?
3. Looking at the lives of rich celebrities, do you think it is true that there are some things money cannot buy? Like what?
4. Have you ever been in a situation you believe you have been sent into for a reason, like it was meant to be? Did you have the courage to make a difference like Siobhan did?
5. What kinds of things can draw people of different religions together?

In extreme circumstances, people are prepared to put their faith in all sorts of weird and wonderful things. Was Mr Mubarak right to trust Siobhan and visit Lourdes? Write Siobhan’s next email to her mum to describe what you think happened next.