Candela Giarda: Catastrophic Childhood Encephalopathy Resolved — John Paul I's Miracle

Candela Giarda was eleven years old in July 2011 when she was admitted to a Buenos Aires hospital with what was diagnosed as Febrile Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndrome — a catastrophic form of acute inflammatory encephalopathy producing malignant refractory seizures and progressing to septic shock. Her mother Roxana Sosa was told doctors had exhausted their options.

On the night of July 22, 2011, Roxana encountered Fr. José Dabusti at a church adjacent to the hospital. He proposed they pray specifically to John Paul I. On July 23, Candela's condition began improving. Her status epilepticus resolved by late August and she was discharged on September 5, fully recovered.

The Vatican investigated the case over several years. Pope Francis recognized the miracle on October 13, 2021 — the feast day of the Virgin of Luján, Argentina's patron. Candela was 21 at the time of the beatification on September 4, 2022, and reportedly missed the ceremony in Rome due to a broken foot but is now enrolled in veterinary studies and takes no medications.

FIRES is one of the most severe epileptic conditions in pediatric neurology, with mortality rates in large series exceeding 30% and most survivors having lasting deficits. Complete recovery without medication is genuinely rare. However, FIRES does occasionally respond to immunotherapy, and the full treatment record is not public.