Many years ago, I was working in a mobile health clinic near the Peruvian city of Puerto Maldonaldo. I was one of a small team of doctors treating the Bora tribe - an indigenous people of the rainforest. It was sweaty tiring work and we saw many cases of tropical diseases and birth defects. But one day, a baby girl was brought to the clinic who was different from any other child I came across in my career, or indeed my life. Her parents had abandoned her in the forest, but she had been found by an old woman and brought to us. The first thing we noticed was that she had pure green eyes - eyes of emerald green that shone with incredible intensity. Her skin also had a greenish-tinge and she smelt more like deep forest foliage than like a human baby.
We did some basic health checks and she seemed to be very healthy, so at first I couldn't understand why her parents didn't want to keep her. Her only differences were her unusual eyes and skin, although it is true that the people of the rainforest are very superstitious. Then one morning a nurse called me into the tent where the baby was being looked after. The nurse had been sitting by her, feeding her, and there was a small vase of old flowers next to the bed. The nurse had noticed that the flowers had started to look lusher, more colourful and more alive again since the girl had been there. At first, I didn't believe it, but the nurse assured me it was true. Another nurse quickly brought over some more old flowers and before my eyes, the same thing happened. It was a miracle. The baby had the power to bring life to plants. She was truly a child of the forest. I started taking notes immediately, feverishly recording every detail.
The nurses named the girl Hannah. It was suggested by a Japanese doctor. He told us it meant 'flower' in Japanese. I radioed our main hospital back in Lima. The next day, several journalists arrived at the clinic. They wanted to see Hannah, and wanted to see evidence of the miracle baby from the forest. Local Catholic priests arrived to. They were convinced this was God's work, and demanded access to the child. Hannah was only a few weeks old but she was already becoming famous in this part of Peru. I wondered how long it would be until the situation got out of control. We took her back to Lima, where in the hospital we performed many tests on her. We even gave her an MRI scan and checked her brain, but everything was normal. No one could understand why she had such a strange effect on flowers and plants. But when I looked into her bright green eyes, I think I could understand - she was a child of the forest. My wife was worried about her. She didn't like all the attention Hannah was getting from the media. It was only going to lead to problems for the special child. My wife suggested we adopt hannah to try to protect her from all the people who wanted to use her for their own purposes. As for me, I was confused but starting to think what would be the best thing to do for everyone.
The grounds around the hospital were full of reporters. Some even pretended to be Hannah's relatives, to try to get near her. And all the while, the trees and plants around the hospital began to grow, getting larger day by day. Hannah seemed to bring life and vigour to the world around her. Even my hair started growing again after many years of being bald! It was truly a miracle, and yet I felt so uneasy. The president came to see her and be photographed next to her. The room was crowded with television crews, pushing and shoving. Some of them were smoking and wouldn't listen to my protests. For the first time, since she was brought in from the forest, Hannah started to cry. As she cried the flowers placed all around her bed began to wilt. This was all going wrong; getting out of control. I knew that I had to do something to help her, and I had to do it soon.
A week later, when she
was only about six weeks old, I went to the hospital and took Hannah
away. I took her to a safe place, a place where she could live life in
peace, and also a place where her special gift
would benefit the world: I took her back to the forest. My wife and I
drove through the night and the next day. After leaving our car in a
small town, we rented a motorboat, and travelled deep into the forest
to find members of the Bora tribe. I spoke with the headman
and explained the situation to him. He agreed to take her back in to
their community and protect her from the outside world. And what
happened to me? I lost my job of course, and was
villified
in the newspapers and by the church. 'The doctor who stole a miracle'
they called me. Do I regret it? No, Of course not! With Hannah deep in
the Amazon rainforest, I know she will always be safe, and the forest
will always be safe. And best of all,
my hair is still growing strong and thick.