Her grandfather was a highly-skilled doctor, who lived in seclusion. Not only did he save

Debora but also Brian.

Brian had been secretly poisoned by his stepmother for seven years when he was a child. It wasn't detected until he was twelve years old.

The Hughes family visited many famous doctors, but no one was able to guarantee a cure.

The chronic poison had already penetrated into his bones, and the chances of curing it were very slim.