St. Camillus de Lellis was born in 1550. When he was 16, Camillus joined his father in the army and fought in the war against the Turks.
After many years of serving in the military, Camillus worked at a Capuchin friary in Manfredonia. The guardian of the friary worked hard to bring Camillus to God, and eventually, he converted in 1575 and entered the novitiate of the Capuchin friars. He was denied admission because of an incurable leg wound he received during the war.
Camillus then went to the San Giacomo Hospital in Rome to receive treatment. He became a caregiver, and eventually the hospital Superintendent. He studied under St. Philip Neri and lived a strict live of penance and prayer.
Camillus was ordained to the priesthood in 1584 and founded the Order of Clerks Regular, Ministers of the Infirm, also known as the Camillians. He and his followers helped wounded soldiers on the battlefield. The group was recognized by Pope Sixtus V in 1586, and they began to expand in Naples and Milan.
Camillus continued to suffer from his own wound, but allowed no one to help him, instead tending to the sick at all costs. He fell ill during a trip to inspect the hospitals of his order in Italy, and died in Rome in 1614.
Pope Benedict XIV canonized Camillus in 1746. He is the patron saint of the sick, hospitals, nurses and physicians.
