Many of us grew up in families where nothing serious ever really happened. Of course, there were likely some things that went on behind the scenes that were never really shared with the outside world but when it came to serious problems and health conditions, most of us escaped rather unscathed. Unfortunately, that is not the case with everyone and in some cases, there may be some very serious problems that are occurring and it can shake a family to the core.
For this family, it was a chance encounter that seemed to change things for them and for their young daughter. It occurred when the Masciantonio family heard that Pope Francis was in Philadelphia. They received a call from an FBI agent, Donnie Asper, who was also a personal friend. He was working security on that day and he told them that they should go downtown so that they could see what was taking place. They didn’t hesitate to do so.
Donnie had a very specific reason why he wanted Joey and Kristin to go down that day. He was hoping that their daughter, Gianna would be able to meet the Pope, who was visiting the United States at the time. The family is Catholic so they knew that a meeting with the Pope would be a very important part of their religious practice. It was also something that they felt they needed because their baby girl had a rare blood disorder and a brain tumor.
They weren’t expecting anything to really happen because there were so many people going to the downtown area in Philadelphia at the time. They also were concerned because of their baby girl’s immune system that was struggling at the time and they didn’t want to be in such a large crowd. They checked with the doctor and they said it would be okay so they made the trip.
The family went down to the James S. Byrne Courthouse on Market Street because they knew that the Pope was going to pass by. When Joey saw him passing by, he held up his baby to try to get the attention of a security guard. The guard then grabbed the baby and took her over to the Pope, who kissed her head.
This was a big deal for the family, but it was even more surprising when six weeks later, they saw that her tumor had shrunk when a scan was taken. Some people think that it is a miracle but others say that it is just chance. In any case, we are happy that this family experienced a little miracle of their own.