Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - It's the kind of Thanksgiving story straight out of a Frank Capra movie, reports the Association of Mature American Citizens.  Distraught parents, holding their one-year-old baby girl, braved the vast crowds to get a glimpse of Pope Francis when he visited Philadelphia in September.  They hoped for a prayer, at best, but got what they now call a full blown miracle.

The child was suffering from an inoperable brain tumor.  Her desperate parents sought the intervention of the Pontiff, but they did not expect what would happen as they made their way through the thousands of people standing in front of Independence Hall.  A papal bodyguard spotted them, took the baby into his arms and presented her to the Pope, himself.  The Pope kissed her brow.  The moment made the evening news.

In August, a brain scan clearly showed the menacing tumor growing inside baby Gianna's head.  An MRI done in mid-November, two months after the papal visit, showed that the tumor had shrunk to such a size that it was almost impossible to detect its presence.

"She's getting better and stronger. She's blowing kisses. She's starting to point at things," Gianna's mom, Kristen Masciantonio, told reporters.  If not a miracle, the Pope's kiss gave Gianna and her family new hope and something very special to celebrate this Thanksgiving Day.