Antonietta was diagnosed with bone cancer in her leg at the age of five, which resulted in the leg's amputation. The evidence of her holiness began shortly after the surgery when her father asked her if she was in pain and she told him, "Pain is like cloth: The stronger it is, the more it is worth." When she returned home, she began writing letters to Jesus, Mary, God the Father, and many others, all dictated to her mother, since Antonietta was still learning to write. Her letters describe her enthusiasm for the sacraments, her love for the Church and her family, and her hope for the salvation of souls. Her letters have been a source of inspiration for many. Pope Pius XI was the first to read and admire her letters. You are now the most recent.