I was extremely skeptical of “Madonna” sightings until 2005. But Easter Week of that year a figure of the Virgin Mary appeared under the overpass at Fullerton Avenue and the Kennedy Expressway—the exit for Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. My daughter, Sarah, who had an extremely severe case of acute viral myocarditis, was dying with little hope of recovery. Yet, as the figure of the Madonna became more visible between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Sarah began her miraculous recovery.
My skepticism certainly hasn’t disappeared but it’s waned. That sign, exactly where it was and how it became more visible in proportion to Sarah’s recovery, inspired my belief in a relationship between the “Madonna of Fullerton Avenue” and Sarah’s recovery.
The gratitude and thankfulness for that miracle—our personal miracle—is the reason Sarah and I rode 220 miles in 2 ½ days in 2011, and it’s a key part of the reason I’m riding across the U.S. just over a week from now.
Thanks to everyone who so generously donated to Sarah’s and my ride in 2011 and who have donated to my cross-country ride. As I prepare for the final week before the ride, I am truly thankful to each of you.
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