Servant of God Chiara Corbella
Born on the 9th of January 1984 in Rome, Italy, Servant of God Chiara Corbella was the youngest of 2 daughters in a devout Catholic Family. During the Summer of 2002, Chiara and her older sister were on pilgrimage in Medjugorje when she met her future husband Enrico Petrillo. 6 years later, the two would marry and soon after fall pregnant with their first child. However during the pregnancy an ultrasound determined that the child had anencephaly and would be born with an underdeveloped brain and an incomplete skull. Despite the pressures of abortion, Chiara and Enrico carried the child to term and on the 10th of June 2009, gave birth to a little baby girl, Maria Grazia Letizia, who would spend less than 30 precious minutes on this earth. Despite the pains of losing a child the couple fell pregnant again shortly after with their second, however were soon struck with the devastating news that this child had severe malformation to crucial organs and would be missing his lower limbs. On the 24th of June 2010 little Davide Giovanni entered the world, and no sooner did he depart. Chiara recounts βthe Lord gave us two special children: Maria Grazia Letizia and Davide Giovanni, but He asked us to accompany them only until their birth. He gave us the opportunity to embrace them, have them baptized, and then entrust them into the hands of the Father, all with a peace and joy that we had never experienced before.β
Shortly after, Chiara again discovered she was pregnant, however 7 days later this was also followed by the discovery of a small lump on her tongue. Desperate to bring her child into the world Chiara rejected any treatment which might risk his little life. And on the 30th of May 2011, her final child Francesco was born in perfect health. Several months after the birth of their little boy It was discovered that the cancer had metastasised and spread to her breast, liver, lungs and eye, the cancer was deemed terminal and as it progressed speaking became difficult and her vision faded.
Chiara passed away on the 13th of June 2012 at 28 years old. Chiara now lays at rest with her two precious infants in Rome, as she undergoes the process of beatification.