Parish ‘miracle man’ Joe prays thanks every morning for gift of ‘another day’
by John Bailey
A REMARKABLE first anniversary was celebrated during the month by Crook’s parish ‘miracle man’ Joe McCabe – a year to the day he arrived home expecting to die.
When doctors at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital broke the news last year there was little more they could offer to heal his liver cancer, made worse by persistent jaundice, they asked Joe what he would like. His answer came in three words: "Go home, please.”
Discharge was arranged that Saturday with NHS hospital bed rapidly provided, district nurse to take charge of his care, and wife Valerie rearranging their downstairs living room to settle Joe home again.
The district nurse confided to him later that as they went out the back door she had told her colleague it would be Wednesday before she was next on duty – and she didn’t expect to see Joe alive again. Her great surprise examining her next rota was seeing the name McCabe still among her calls.
Daughters Julie and Catherine and son Joseph and their families were alerted to come quickly to ensure they were in time to visit.
That’s when the prayers started. Joe has a great devotion to Our Lady, his special friend. Her 3ft statue does the rounds of Our Lady and St Cuthbert’s parish with families taking turns to say the rosary daily.
The statue happened to be at Joe and Valerie’s that week. Next morning, Sunday July 16, Joe woke, gave Our Lady a wink and said thank you for seeing in another day. The story has continued with the same pattern ever since – first with Our Lady and now with a framed wall-picture of the Sacred Heart.
Joe is still confined to the house, but challenges himself to get into his bedside armchair, walk short distances, get stronger, and manage the chairlift to reach the toilet unaided.
Joe’s story has travelled. During the year parish priest Fr Nick Jennings offered a house Mass at his bedside for family and parishioners. Staff and children from St Cuthbert’s primary came to crowd the back garden and sing for him.
He also heard from Westminster, a personal letter from Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who wrote after daughter Catherine in Edinburgh rang to tell him all about her Dad’s work for the Church.
Northern Cross chairman Fr Dennis Tindall popped in one day to ask Joe to look after the paper’s top newspaper seller award until further notice – which Joe beamed at for the picture. Daughter Julie took over Joe’s sales pitch at the church door and still brings him the cash for 20 papers sell-out each month.
On the anniversary – a Tuesday – who should arrive but Fr Jennings, to share a cuppa and news he’d said Mass for school leavers that day and included Joe’s intention. He gave Joe and Valerie a special blessing.
Joe’s next target is to celebrate his 88th birthday on September 14.
He told Northern Cross: “I had a wonderful day with every blessing. It’s been an amazing year with so many friends coming to see us, a loving family, a superb family doctor, marvellous nursing staff visiting for my daily injection, great carers so willing to learn – and a wonderful wife who’s there night and day for my every last need. I’ve a lot to be thankful for – and that’s true!”
Joe, is pictured above, with his wife Valerie and parish priest Fr Nick Jennings. Joe is showing them a thank you letter from Catholic Writers’ Guild secretary Veronica Whitty which was a Royal Mail ‘miracle’ – it arrived despite the address being obliterated in a downpour. Photo: John Bailey.
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