**1. The Vision and Diagnosis**

In 1992, at the age of 26, Elena was living in a loft in Italy when she had a profound mystical experience. Early one morning, she felt a presence at the foot of her bed and saw a man with dark skin and a large mass of hair. He smiled and waved at her, an image that remained vivid even though her mother suggested it was just a dream. Shortly after this vision, she was hospitalized and diagnosed with **multiple sclerosis (MS)**. Her condition was severe: she suffered from facial paralysis, intense tremors, and doctors found plaques on her brain, cerebellum, and spine. The medical outlook was grim, with doctors suggesting she would eventually lose the ability to walk.

**2. The Journey to India**

Elena learned about Sathya Sai Baba through a magazine article and felt an immediate, immense sense of love. Despite being told by colleagues at the clinic where she worked that she was "crazy" to travel to a "developing country" in her condition, she decided to go to India, viewing it as her "last journey".

Upon arriving at the ashram, her first impressions were shaped by fear and confusion; the chaos and Sai Baba’s unusual appearance initially led her to believe she had wandered into a "sect". She even suspected the candies he handed out might be "drugged".

**3. The Miracle of the Stone and Healing**

Her skepticism vanished during an interview with Sai Baba, who called her and a small group forward.

* **The Materialization:** Without Elena mentioning her illness, Sai Baba asked about her health several times. He then rotated his hand and materialized an object that looked like **pink quartz**.
* **The Command:** He told her to eat the stone. When she bit into it, she experienced an incredible sweetness unlike anything she had ever tasted. As she swallowed it, he told her, "Do not worry, I bless you and protect you".
* **Divine Ecstasy:** When she followed a suggestion to touch his feet, she was transported into a state of "divine ecstasy"—a place with no form or color, only infinite love, joy, and silence.

**4. Personal Transformation and Family**

Following her return to Italy, Elena underwent a deep internal transformation.

* **Psychological Healing:** She spent two years traveling back and forth to India, which she describes as being equivalent to "20 years with a psychologist". This period allowed her to process deep-seated anger, childhood traumas, and emotional pain she had never shared with anyone.
* **Defying Medical Advice:** Sai Baba predicted she would find a "good husband" who was also a devotee, which eventually came true. Although doctors warned her that having children would be dangerous for someone with her diagnosis, she chose to have two children back-to-back and breastfed both of them, acting against medical fears.
* **Long-term Health:** Elena reports that for **33 years**, she has not taken any medication for multiple sclerosis. While she had some relapses after her second child, she returned to India for further healing, where Sai Baba touched her head with a hand she perceived as "boiling hot," leading to another recovery.

**5. Current Reflections**

Today, Elena continues to visit India because it is "good for her heart and soul". She describes herself as a "soul in progress" and views her entire journey not just as a medical recovery, but as a "love story" of her soul. She remains in a state of peace and follows the continued work of the movement through Madhusudan Sai, seeing it as the continuation of her Guru's teachings.

India 8 - Elena Cavagnis, salvata da Sathya Sai Baba