Paulo Coelho's account of the meeting:
I was starving, sick, and lost in Salvador. I had escaped from a psychiatric hospital where my parents, desperate to control their "rebellious" son, had committed me. I wandered the city until someone told me there was a nun who could help me—or I risked being arrested for vagrancy. I walked to the nun's house. I joined the many people there seeking help. My turn came, and suddenly I was face to face with her. She asked me what I wanted, and the answer was simple: "I want to go home, but I can't." She didn't ask any more questions. I didn't mention that I had escaped from the asylum. She took a piece of paper from her drawer and wrote that it was worth a ticket to Rio de Janeiro. She blessed me. I went to the bus station, the driver looked discouraged, but let me in—no one had the courage to say "no" to her request. I arrived in Rio (the people on the bus shared their food with everyone), was welcomed with love, and was not admitted again. It is with tears in my eyes that I write these lines. Thank you, Saint Dulce, for your two miracles: allowing the return of the prodigal son, and granting me the honor of helping your hospital, always with its doors open."
Source: https://paulocoelhoblog.com/irma-dulce