…tell them you could be asking them to send you to Lourdes:

In 1985, Dutch teenager Marcel Roeg fell off his moped and into the darkness. The smart-aleck jock would never again play goalie, ride a scooter or dance with his girlfriend Marissa. The accident left him brain-damaged and blind.

Since that day, Mr. Roeg has spent most of his time in a home for the handicapped, harboring a dream. In the dream, he goes to Lourdes to visit the famous place where in 1858 a 14-year-old peasant girl claimed to see the Virgin Mary. There, he is healed. He rides a motorcycle again. And he is no longer lonely.

Last month, Mr. Roeg, now 37 years old, actually made the trip to Lourdes — thanks to his insurance company, VGZ.

In an unusual scheme, the Dutch company spends about $280,000 a year to fly 600 of its sickest and most disabled clients to Lourdes. The company doesn’t expect the Virgin Mary to intercede. It hopes for a different sort of miracle.

“Lourdes leads people to compassion and friendship,” says Johan Rozendaal, a VGZ board member. “They remember what it’s like to have somebody really care about them.”

Thanks to Nance for passing it on.