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Christmas Miracles! Nicole's Story ...

In my last blog I shared the story of Maggie Schoenfeld, a 9-year-old from Boynton Beach, Florida, who has an aggressive case of Leukemia. Though she has many long days before her as she prepares for a bone marrow transplant she’s not facing it alone. Hundreds of people from her hometown have come together to show their support. The local police station where her dad works has raised more than $30,000 for the family through fundraisers where they’ve shaved their heads, served food and even posed for a pinup calendar. Even complete strangers have been compelled to help Maggie, attending fundraisers and sending cards.

But today's story is about Nicole Bennet – another Christmas miracle. It all began at a recent fundraiser held for Maggie at Panera Bread. It was here that Nicole Bennet and her mother Brenda, who didn’t even know Maggie but came to show their support after they heard her story, got some help of their own.

Just three days after her 16th birthday, Nicole was in a terrible car accident. That was five years ago, but her mom Brenda always remembers it as they day her daughter died. After paramedics pulled Nicole from the wreckage of her little convertible they struggled to resuscitate her.

Two motorcycle cops brought Brenda to her daughter’s side at the hospital. She remembers the stitches that stretched up and down the left side of her daughter’s face. The accident had severely damaged Nicole’s brain. Doctors told her that she’d be a vegetable for the rest of her life if she even made it through the night. She made it.

Nicole spent four weeks in the hospital’s trauma unit. There was no expression on her face. No life. She suffered complete memory loss. She didn’t speak for six months. But her mother never stopped hoping…never stopped working with her to make her better.

Now five years later, Nicole, 21, is surpassing all of her doctors’ expectations and defying science as she continues to remember and improve. She’s been back to high school and she now works as Panera Bread – her first real paying job since the accident.



I asked Nicole’s Mom Brenda about the progress of her recovery. Is it leaps and bounds? Incremental?Baby steps? She told me the good news is that Nicole has yet to hit a plateau.

So is it coincidence or faith that Nicole went to Maggie’s fundraiser at Panera?

I’ve always believed that deep down everyone wants to do something to help someone else…to make an impact on the world that’s larger than themselves. I think that feeling kicks into overdrive during the holiday season as you hear dozens of stories about people reaching out to help those in need. Maybe that’s because, like the bright holiday lights that dot the nation this time of year symbolizing hope and life in the dead of winter, everyone wants to believe in miracles. When you have enough faith… the unexpected can happen.

posted by Jason Parsley @ 4:06 AM