Some of my friends and I were talking yesterday about how we might respond to the tragedies of the last few days. We agreed that we would try to be positive and dwell on the good that has come, the heroes that have emerged. Right now, as I'm writing this, I'm also watching the uplifting Boston worship service called "Healing Our City", attended by President and Mrs. Obama as well as other national and world leaders.
While there are countless stories coming out about Boston Marathon heroes, I want to share an all together different kind of miraculous story I was reminded of this week when I saw President Jimmy Carter on the Colbert Show.
It's about the Guinea Worm.
For hundreds of years this worm has been invading the bodies of people in Asia and Africa. It's excruciatingly painful and leaves it's victim crippled and suffering for life. For centuries the way to extract the worm was to roll it out on spindles. It took weeks.
It's usually found in legs but President Carter said the first time he saw the worm it was being extracted from a woman's breast.
Below is a print from 1674 showing leg extractions.
And this is how it was until 1987 when The Carter Center, along with the Gates Foundation, and others decided to go after it. Drug companies had no interest in helping because no drugs will work.
Filtering the water was all that was needed. But this took a respect and sensitivity for why people continued to drink and bathe in worm polluted water, before they could be convinced to use filters. A long and laborious process.
The result?
In 1987 there were 3.5 million cases of Guinea Worm.
In 2013, so far, there have been 7 cases of Guinea Worm.
Healing miracles abound. All over the world. Just like they are now in Boston.
***
While there are countless stories coming out about Boston Marathon heroes, I want to share an all together different kind of miraculous story I was reminded of this week when I saw President Jimmy Carter on the Colbert Show.
It's about the Guinea Worm.
For hundreds of years this worm has been invading the bodies of people in Asia and Africa. It's excruciatingly painful and leaves it's victim crippled and suffering for life. For centuries the way to extract the worm was to roll it out on spindles. It took weeks.
It's usually found in legs but President Carter said the first time he saw the worm it was being extracted from a woman's breast.
Below is a print from 1674 showing leg extractions.
And this is how it was until 1987 when The Carter Center, along with the Gates Foundation, and others decided to go after it. Drug companies had no interest in helping because no drugs will work.
Filtering the water was all that was needed. But this took a respect and sensitivity for why people continued to drink and bathe in worm polluted water, before they could be convinced to use filters. A long and laborious process.
The result?
In 1987 there were 3.5 million cases of Guinea Worm.
In 2013, so far, there have been 7 cases of Guinea Worm.
Healing miracles abound. All over the world. Just like they are now in Boston.
***
