Dear Readers,
I have known about promesas and the story of the pilot who crashed his plane for as long as I can remember. My family has visited the church with the Virgen de San Juan many times, and though I don’t make formal promesas, I like to leave candles and prayers in honor of whoever is struggling at the time.
Several years ago, my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. Luckily, the doctors discovered it in its early stages, and my aunt has been in remission for over a decade. To celebrate her recovery, my cousin invited all her relatives and friends to participate in the Komen Race for the Cure, and I signed up, happy to support my aunt in any way I could.
The first time I participated, I was amazed by the thousands of people who had gathered at the Alamodome, and when I saw them singing, praying, and celebrating their loved ones, I remembered the valley and the cuarto de milagros. How I loved reading the letters that people left at the shrine, just as I enjoyed hearing their stories at the Alamodome. This is what inspired me to write Erica’s story.
I’ve seen the power of promesas firsthand. When my father learned he needed cardiac bypass surgery, my mother promised to say the rosary every day for two years, and when my uncle learned he had prostate cancer, he promised to visit the shrine in the valley once a month for a year. My aunt didn’t make a promesa, but her prayers and her gratitude as we gathered to walk in her honor taught me, just as they taught Erica, that the most powerful medicines are hope and the love of family and friends.
Yours,
Diana López