Dear Editor,

As holiday shoppers go into a shopping frenzy on ‘Black Friday’, I suffer terrible flashbacks whenever I hear that word. Black Friday 2006 was the day that our precious granddaughter was diagnosed with a deadly disease called A.L.L. a.k.a acute lymphoma leukemia.

Just two years old, our Rebecca’s symptoms included a constant ear infection, a ‘boo-boo’ on her knee that wouldn’t heal, bruises all over her little body, loss of balance as she’d fall, no appetite and pain when we tried to hug her.

Black Friday 2006 wasn’t spent in a shopping spree at the mall. Instead, that night Rebecca was admitted to the Oncology Department at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

With only a faint glimmer of hope, she was now classified as a ‘slow responder.’ Faith and prayers to the Lord God, the Great Physician, for Rebecca’s recovery, for her doctors, her nurses and staff.

Finally, our ‘munchkin’ came home to begin the long road of chemo treatments with loss of her golden curls, loss of weight and other terrible side effects.

Today our Rebecca is a happy, healthy l0 year old. Our miracle is energetic, loves to play sports and do gymnastics.

She’s our constant reminder of God’s healing hand.

The Doctors at Children’s consider her ‘cured’ of all.

Prayers answered.

At our house, “Black Friday” has become ‘Good Friday’ – we practice thanks- living every day for our miracle!

Libbie Bennett