“What can I do? What can I do?” came the sobbing voice over the telephone. It was a former patient of ours. “What can I do?” she continued, “My mother has pemphigus with blisters all over her body. Her doctors tell her she will die if she doesn't have treatment.” “So?” we replied. “But, my mother won't accept any treatment, since it's against her religious beliefs. Last year she had a blood clot and lost her leg because she would not allow any treatment. What can I do?” We tried to calm the daughter, telling her we would see what we could do. “Tell your mother I would like to see her as a friend, not as a patient. Just bring her over for a chat.”

The next day in came the daughter with her mother. As we sat in the consultation room, the tears were rolling down the daughter's cheeks. And clear fluid was dripping down the mother's leg from large open blisters. Indeed, the dye from her purple shoes was being leached out onto our carpet.

The mystery was, how to treat this little old lady so she could hold onto life and her religious beliefs. The epiphany came in a flash as we began talking about the dye on our carpet. It was then that we saw a magic carpet of therapy. We said to the mother, “We see that your daughter is very sick. May we help her?” The mother gave a wan assent.