Yusuf İnan
Journalist | Opinion Writer
Wise News Press – Izmir, Türkiye

The Peddler Woman Who Cured a Tuberculosis Patient

I was having recurring issues with my car’s electrical system, so I stopped by an auto repair shop. The mechanic said, “Hang tight, I’ll take a look.” While I waited, they offered me a cup of tea. As I sipped, a wooden sign hanging on the wall caught my eye.

The sign read:

"My coffee is ready, come.
The foam has overflowed, come.
Friends of my happy days,
My bad days are behind me, come."

The quatrain was carved meticulously into the board, showing exquisite craftsmanship.

Noticing my interest, the mechanic said, “Brother, my father wrote that sign. Here’s the story behind it…” and began to recount the tale.

A Father’s Battle with the Wasting Disease

Years ago, when tuberculosis couldn’t be treated, my father fell seriously ill. Back then, people called it the “wasting disease.” Friends abandoned him, relatives stopped visiting, but my mother stood by his side, saying, “If we are to die, we’ll face it together.”

One day, a peddler woman came to the door. My mother explained, “I want to buy something, but my husband is suffering from the wasting disease. I don’t want you to catch it.”

The woman reassured her: “Don’t fear anything but the wasting disease itself. Feed your husband yogurt, grape molasses, and a whole onion. In less than a month, he’ll be back on his feet, and the disease will vanish.”

Following her advice, my mother prepared the mixture, and my father ate it daily with bread. After a month, they visited the hospital. The doctor was skeptical at first, but when he saw my father lively and strong, he ordered tests.

The results were astonishing—my father’s lungs were completely healthy. The doctor, stunned, asked, “Did you do something? Or is there an error in the tests?”

My mother recounted the encounter with the peddler woman, leaving the doctor amazed. My father had truly recovered. To commemorate the miracle, he wrote the quatrain and hung it in the shop.

Fate and Healing

They say life is a matter of destiny. Healing comes to those who are meant to find it. Those not destined may succumb to their arrogance, facing hardship and suffering.

Even today, diseases like cancer touch celebrities, royals, politicians, and heads of state. Some find their way to recovery; others do not. Sometimes, just as the peddler woman could not appear for my father’s neighbors, the cure does not arrive for everyone.

Destiny decides who receives it—and who doesn’t.

Yusuf İnan 

www.sehitlerolmez.com

Yusuf İnan is a journalist and writer.
He serves as Editor-in-Chief of WiseNewsPress.com, SehitlerOlmez.com, and YerelGundem.com.
He specializes in strategic and political analysis on Turkish and global affairs.