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Chiara Corbella-Petrillo is an extraordinary Italian Catholic woman. She lived a short live. She met her husband Enrico Petrillo at age 18, became the mother of three children, and died at the age 28.
During the early years of their marriage, the young Italian couple faced many hardships together, including the death of two children, who both died only 30 minutes after birth.
Chiara became pregnant a third time with their son, Francesco. However, the joyful news of their pregnancy also came with a fatal diagnosis of cancer for Chiara. Her cancer was an unusual lesion of the tongue, which was later discovered to be a carcinoma.
Chiara rejected any treatment that could have saved her life during pregnancy because it would have risked the life of her unborn son. As the cancer progressed, it became difficult for Chiara to speak and see clearly, eventually making her final days on earth particularly excruciating.
"Her [Chiara's] suffering became a holy place because it was the place where she encountered God," Troisi and Paccini recalled.
Although many couples face hardships, Troisi and Paccini remembered something different about the Petrillos - they leaned on God's grace which made their family particularly serene. They made peace with the reality that Chiara would never grow old with Enrico or watch Francesco grow up.
Chiara died on at home in her wedding gown, surrounded by her family and friends. Although her earthly life was over, Chiara would continue to be a witness to joy.
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