I recall these events as they happened without exaggeration or fabrication.

It was Tuesday July 26th. My wife, daughter and I were preparing to embark on a two week holiday in Skiathos, Greece. We were to be picked up at 1:30am in a taxi to travel to Manchester airport for an early morning flight.

A few days before, I had started to experience some pain when passing urine. It had happened before, but passed off in a day or two, but this time it did not pass off. It was getting more painful, more urgent and more frequent. At 11pm I started passing blood. I had to face the reality that I was in no condition to travel and would have to cancel the holiday and seek urgent medical attention. Then ...

Words come into my head saying "Just lie down and pray the Rosary". I have nothing to lose, so I lay on the bed and start silently reciting the sorrowful mysteries of the Holy Rosary. As I pray, all the pain and discomfort drift away and I am covered with a blanket of reassurance telling me that all will be well. As I start on the glorious mysteries, I am so comfortable that I have to make an effort to keep awake. While I am praying, my wife joins me for a lie down, oblivious of the drama I have experienced. On finishing the Glorious mysteries, I drift off to a peaceful sleep. I wake up at 1am in time to prepare for the taxi. I take the two and a half hour taxi ride to Manchester without a single toilet stop. Just two hours earlier I had been weeing blood every five minutes. During the three and a half hour flight I make just one toilet trip, free from pain and blood and I look forward to what turns out to be a wonderful holiday.

So I humbly give thanks and praise to God for this amazing answer to prayer.

People will inevitably ask the question : "Why does God answer my prayers and not other people's?" All I can say is that whenever I put my faith and trust in God, prayers do get answered. I am convinced that faith is the key which unlocks the power of prayer.

postscript: When we arrived in Greece I told my wife of the drama I experienced. She was shocked and amazed, and made me promise to see a doctor when we returned home. The doctor confirmed that I had a urinary tract infection, and I was given a course of antibiotics to clear it up, but she offered no explanation for the two week respite which allowed me to enjoy our holiday.