Praying for a miracle: Girl to meet pope in hopes of healing her tumor

By Yadira Betances
ybetances@eagletribune.com

METHUEN — After undergoing chemotherapy for 15 months and having 25 blood transfusions, 8-year-old Caroline Hamilton is looking for a miracle to cure the tumor lodged in her brain.

So the second-grader, her parents and her brothers are heading to the Vatican to meet Pope Benedict XVI in hopes of making that wish come true.

"I want to see him so he can heal my brain tumor," Caroline said confidently about her reason for wanting to meet the pontiff. "I want it to be gone. It's no fun that other people don't have to go through this."

Once in Rome, the Hamiltons will be part of a papal audience for sick pilgrims from across the world. During the service, Caroline, who will sit in the front row, will receive a personal blessing from the pope.

The trip is made possible through the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts.

Caroline was referred to the foundation by her doctor at the Jimmy Fund Clinic in 2007. Going to Rome was not her first choice, however.

An animal lover who wants to be a veterinarian, she wanted a hamster as her wish. Her mother said that was out of the question.

When a fellow patient at the Jimmy Fund Clinic returned from a trip, it piqued her interest to travel. Caroline chose Rome to meet Pope Benedict XVI, whom she admired since he was elected in 2005 to replace Pope John Paul II.

"This is a first for our chapter. It's a very unique wish," said Lauren Cotter, wish program manager for the foundation. "We're extremely happy for her."

Her parents and teachers were not surprised by Caroline's wish to meet the pope, as she enjoys reading the Bible and books on the saints of the Catholic Church.

"You wouldn't know she has that beast in her head because she's a miracle," her mother, Sarah Hamilton, said. "I'm excited to see her happy. This is a dream come true for my husband and I to see her happy because she deserves it."

At her mother's suggestion, Caroline will bring a set of rosary beads for each of her classmates at St. Michael School in North Andover to be blessed by the pope. Those classmates will then carry those beads when they receive their First Communion May 2.

"It's the least we can do because the school and the parish community have been incredibly loving and supportive," Sarah Hamilton said.

Caroline has her own reason for bringing the beads.

"I want him to make them holy because he's very special," she said.

The past two years have been a nightmare for Rick Hamilton, a major in the National Guard, and Sarah Hamilton, a criminal defense attorney who has been staying home with the children since Caroline's brain tumor was diagnosed.

The tumor, which is the size of a plum, was discovered when Caroline had difficulty with a portion of her kindergarten vision test. Her parents then noticed a "jerking movement" in their daughter's left eye in April of that year. While the ophthalmologist said the girl's eyes were both healthy, doctors concluded there was a possible brain lesion.

The tumor is incurable and inoperable, and Caroline went through toxic chemotherapy treatments designed 25 years ago to keep the tumor from growing.

The first treatments caused her to lose some of her vision and an MRI showed the tumor had grown. The second round of chemotherapy made her nauseous, lose her appetite and her black hair.

"Losing my hair was something I didn't like. I just missed it. I cried and I was angry when I lost it," said Caroline, now sporting two ponytails tied with a silk white ribbon.

"The problem is still there, but we're giving her body a break," her mother said.

In addition to the Vatican, Caroline, her parents, and brother William, 9, and Aidan, 4, will go on a sightseeing trip. The Hamiltons have been learning about the Vatican and other landmarks, including the Colosseum, through the Internet and books they borrowed from the public library. To prepare for the trip, the family also has been learning key phrases in Italian and German, the pope's native tongue.

"It's going to be interesting to see a different culture," Caroline said.

Caroline has several euros and American coins which she is ready to throw in the Trevi Fountain. It is said that a person who uses their right hand to throw the coins over their left shoulder into the fountain will assure a return to the city.

Caroline has faith Pope Benedict XVI can cure her.

"He is the head of the church and the power comes from God," she said.

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I don't know which is worse, giving this child false hope, or..."An animal lover who wants to be a veterinarian, she wanted a hamster as her wish. Her mother said that was out of the question." Say what? She'd have just as much chance of being cured by the hamster as the pope! And why not have a hamster waiting when she returns? You know what's going to happen, don't you? Eventually, this child, during her last days on earth, will realize that she wasn't cured, and die in despair and wondering why she was "unworthy." Outrageous!