tales-of-Fogo-Island

FaithWhen my father was a young boy, he stepped on a prong and drove itright up through his foot. The wound became infected and bloodpoisoning set in. My father could not walk around. He even missedgrade eight. The dark line of blood poisoning began to spread up his leg.After a while, the poisoning reached all the way up to his knee.Father was very sick and his parents did not know what to do. Theyfinally called the parish priest. He came over to the house and saw myfather. No one knows what he did or what he said, but somethingamazing happened. In a short while, the blood poisoning turned back. Itslowly worked its way down his leg and came out through his heel.For the rest of his life, father had a split heel. In fact, he had a hole in hisheel that was big enough to fit his little finger into. It was that big!Sometimes, his heel would chap. When this happened, father wouldsoak it in hot water and cut the dead skin away with a pocket knife. Mostpeople thought that the prong made this hole, but that was not so. It wascaused when the blood poisoning came out of his foot.My father never forgot the blood poisoning that almost claimed his life.He certainly did not forget the miracle that saved him.In years gone by money was not plentiful. Nearly everyone grew their ownvegetables, fished and raised livestock. Most of the time, people could makeends meet. However, there were times when even the proudest familiesturned to government relief or 'the dole'.One winter, a family in Island Harbour was having a very rough time. Thesummer before was dry and their garden did not grow well. To make mattersworse, it was also a bad year in the fishery. As the sun came up one morning,the man of the house decided to go to Fogo and see about getting some reliefmoney. He got out of bed and stepped onto the icy floor. Then he hauled onsome clothes and went downstairs. As he lit the fire, he wondered what hewould have for breakfast, but soon realized that the last morsel of food in thehouse had been eaten. He would have to go to Fogo on an empty stomach.