Palms West beating: Blessing from Pope Francis left nurse 'overwhelmed,' her family says

Yahoo

09-05-2025

WEST PALM BEACH — In the weeks before his death, Pope Francis bestowed a blessing on Leelamma Lal, the HCA Florida Palms West Hospital nurse whose beating at the hands of a patient drew national attention.
Lal received a copy of Francis' apostolic blessing in late April while undergoing intense physical therapy at Jacksonville's Brooks Rehabilitation Center following the Feb. 18 attack, her son, Chris Lal, said May 8.
He said the letter from the pontiff left Lal, a 67-year-old native of India and a devout Catholic, overwhelmed with joy. Msgr. Gabriel Ghanoum, a chaplain at Palm Beach County hospitals, made it happen.
"She's going to frame it when she gets home,' said Chris with a smile. "She's so excited for that.'
Lal's son spoke on the same day that the College of Cardinals elected Robert Prevost, an American, to succeed Francis as Pope Leo XIV, and on the same day that Lal's attorneys claimed victories in court that will help them seek damages for her from HCA Florida.
A Palm Beach County district judge April 8 ordered HCA Florida to hand over a set of records requested by Lal's lawyer. The judge also struck down a request from the company's lawyers that would have barred attorneys from talking about the case outside of the courtroom.
Wellington resident Stephen Scantlebury, the patient who beat Lal as she was caring for him, is facing a charge of attempted second-degree murder while evidencing prejudice. He remains in pretrial detention, and his attorneys have said they intend to pursue an insanity defense.
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Lal met Ghanoum while she was in critical condition at the ICU in St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach. She quickly became fond of the chaplain, who frequently visited her bedside to pray.
Ghanoum requested the papal blessing for Lal without telling anyone. He traveled to Vatican City in March and returned with the rare letter that was printed March 25, less than a month before Pope Francis died on April 21, the day after Easter.
The letter's arrival stunned Chris and Cindy Joseph, Lal's daughter and a Melbourne physician. They say it has become a source of hope, strength and encouragement for her mother during the toughest days in rehabilitation.
"She has her rosary," Chris said. "And every morning, she listens to a church service on her phone."
Ghanoum continues to pray for Lal during his church services at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Lantana. He is best known for hosting the "No One Buried Alone" services each year for all the unclaimed ashes around the county of those who died and were cremated.
Lal's recovery has been slow but she continues to hit milestones, her children said.
The Royal Palm Beach resident can see out of her left eye and has regained minimal vision in her right eye. Doctors found damage on the cranial nerves in Lal's right eye, which is still causing her to have double vision and has made it difficult for her to walk by herself, her daughter said.
Lal will undergo another surgery at St. Mary's at the end of May.
"It seems like she's all there, but when you look at her, she's not all there,' Chris said.
Chris and his sister have taken turns to visit their mother in Jacksonville every weekend. They say she is in good spirits and regaining her old personality, worrying about her grandkids and her fish and plants at home.
"She wants to come back home where she could try to be somewhat normal," Chris said. "She's just worried about driving. 'How am I going to go to church?'"
An online GoFundme account for Lal has raised more than $211,000 since February.
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During the April 8 court hearing, Circuit Judge Joseph Curley denied a motion by HCA Florida attorney Adam Rhys that would prohibit lawyers from talking about findings and the case.
Rhys argued disparaging comments by Lal's attorneys could influence a potential jury.
Martin Reeder, an attorney for The Palm Beach Post, said during the hearing that granting such a motion would be prior restraint on speech and publication, which he called the most serious and least tolerable infringement of First Amendment rights.
Reeder added it would have restricted the public's access to the case by preventing journalists from getting accurate information from attorneys.
Curley also ordered the hospital chain to surrender more records related to the Feb. 18 attack.
Rhys said the company had already handed over some records to Karen Terry, the attorney representing Lal. Terry said, however, Palms West has not provided the incident report, their policies and procedures for Baker Act Patients, records of phone calls to transfer Scantlebury to other facilities, and video footage of him at the hospital.
"This is a story of great public interest," said Terry. "Safety and security in hospitals is of paramount importance to all of us. We're all going to be patients at some point."
Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, Palm Springs and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at [e-mail] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palms West beating: Pope Francis in final days blessed injured nurse