Africa-Press – Lesotho. Sister Marguerite-Marie, born Simone Francoise Ballaram, left us last week after a short illness. His funeral took place on Tuesday, April 2 at St Jean Church in Belle-Rose, bringing together his religious sisters, members of his family, numerous staff members of the Nouvelle Clinique Ferrière including several who were already retired, doctors, friends and acquaintances.
Next month, she would have celebrated her 90th birthday. Without any exaggeration, one could say that she was the soul of the Clinique Ferrière from its beginnings.
At the time, the clinic was located on the former site at Les Casernes, in Curepipe. Then, it was transferred to the present location behind the Royal College of Curepipe.
She devoted the longest time of her professional career to it until her retirement in 2005, with the exception of a few brief visits to the Clinique Bon Pasteur – which she joined after her studies in Nursing and Midwifery –, a one-year internship in a large hospital in England, at the Civil Hospital and in the operating room at the Clinique Darné.
But she still had energy and enthusiasm for work and service, and so she found herself at the house of the aged sisters at Rose-Hill and, afterwards, at the community of Belle-Rose before to spend her last years at Rose-Belle, where she passed away after a few days in the clinic.
Her responsibilities as director of the Clinic did not prevent her from exercising her skills in the operating room, where we also regularly had the assistance of her eldest Sister of Charity despite her age.
Many of the surgeons among us will remember those hot meals that she took care to make available to us after late evening sessions! We would never have dared to offend her by refraining from consuming what she offered us, or tasting the favorite concoction she served us: Green Island with dried fruits simmered for months!
So many good memories of this beautiful soul, towards whom generosity and affection on the part of those she met were reciprocal. As far as I’m concerned, she was like a mother, and I will be forever grateful for her unconditional support until the end during the hardest time of my life.
If there was a health professional in the world to epitomize this beautiful maxim attributed to the surgeon Ambroise Pare (although intended for doctors), namely “Cure sometimes, relieve often, console always”, it would be Sister Marguerite Marie.
This maxim encompasses what could be called the “priestly dimension” of medical practice – which alas! has evaporated today – and, for Sister Marguerite, her life was truly a priesthood among the sick.
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