PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) – Ten years ago, Pope Francis skimmed through cheering crowds at the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia — and when he stopped to kiss one baby girl named Gianna, her family’s life was changed forever.
“Pope Francis’ compassion and humility has left a mark on the world – and especially in our hearts,” Kristen Masciantonio, Gianna’s mother, told OSV News. “We have always and will always keep him in our hearts and prayers.”
The pope’s visit to the City of Brotherly Love was the final stop on his 2015 apostolic journey to the U.S. and Cuba, with pilgrims thronging Philadelphia’s downtown parkway area for a glimpse of the pontiff.
For the Masciantonios, simply being there that Sept. 26 with their daughter, who days prior had celebrated her first birthday, was a grace.
Shortly after her birth in 2014, Gianna Masciantonio – named for St. Gianna Beretta Molla, the Italian pediatrician who prioritized the life of her unborn child in her battle with cancer – had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Baby Gianna had been given only weeks or at most months to live.
She spent eight months in hospice, continuing to grow even amid the grim prognosis, with her family leaning on their deeply held Catholic faith to sustain them.
A glimmer of hope shone on Gianna’s first Christmas Eve, when Dr. Ira Dunkel of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York called to tell the family he didn’t believe the tumor was cancerous. Soon afterwards, doctors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia performed a 10-hour biopsy on Gianna, which revealed systemic juvenile xanthogranuloma, or JXG.
A brutal regime of intensive chemotherapy and surgeries – 20 over a 15-month period – ensued, with the Masciantonios living day to day and praying the Seven Sorrows rosary with family and friends.
Standing in the late September sunshine amid the papal pilgrims, the family hoped Pope Francis’ presence would infuse them with desperately needed strength for Gianna’s ongoing treatment.
And then, a papal security agent in a crisp black suit swept Gianna up and lifted her to Pope Francis, who bent down from the popemobile to gently kiss her head and bless her.
The iconic image of the pope and Gianna captivated hearts across the world, with media calling the moment “The Miracle on Market Street.” In the months that followed, the tumor began to shrink as Gianna continued treatment.
For the Masciantonios, the papal encounter with Gianna was a sign of divine reassurance, with Pope Francis a “sanctified messenger” reminding them “God has been at our side through this entire journey.”
During the pope’s 2015 Philadelphia visit, the family also met Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, the youngest child of St. Gianna, at a local shrine honoring her mother, who had been named a patron of the 2015 World Meeting of Families.
Today, Gianna Masciantonio is a vibrant 10-year-old, returning to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for annual checkups on her health while enjoying her fourth grade studies and hobbies such as baking, art and spending time with her family and friends.
The Masciantonios have established the For the Love of Grace Foundation, evoking Gianna’s middle name – and the divine reality it signifies – to financially support other families grappling with childhood cancer and rare diseases.
Reflecting on Pope Francis’ passing from this life April 21 and his impact on her family, Kristen Masciantonio told OSV News, “We will be forever grateful for his blessing and for the countless prayers and support that have surrounded Gianna’s journey.”