Hoping for a Gloucester Christmas 'miracle'

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE CHANGES IN POLICY: Commenters are required to have a username with a valid and verified email address. Gloucestertimes.com reserves the right to ban the IP address of any commenter (person) found using multiple aliases under multiple e-mail addresses in a deceptive manner. Posts that do not meet site standards, which can be found here, will be removed.

If you are experiencing problems logging in or posting comments, please contact Disqus' help center by clicking here.

comments powered by Disqus

November 26, 2012

Hoping for a Gloucester Christmas 'miracle'

Anonymous Gloucester Daily Times The Gloucester Daily Times Mon Nov 26, 2012, 11:07 PM EST

To the editor:

I am writing in the hopes of finding a Gloucester Christmas miracle.

My father has been traveling back and forth to Gloucester since the 1970s to go deepsea fishing, or otherwise enjoy Gloucester.

When I got to the age of 14, he took me on one of his yearly trips to Gloucester, and since that time, I, too, have fallen in love with the beauty of Gloucester and what it has to offer.

I am 44 now and still I bring my family to Gloucester for vacation 2-3 times a year, so we are now four generations to your hometown.

My father has had Stage 4 liver cancer for 2 years now. I have had a hard and rough relationship with my father since I was a child. Over the past several months I wrote to several grant wishing for adults who are terminally ill. With no luck I have been since trying to get a paid trip for my father to go fishing. It’s not like I wanted my entire family to go to Disney World. But I went to the cancer doctor, and we were told if he did not get radiation treatment he would not make it 2-3 months before his liver shut down.

If he got treatment, this would only prolong his time for a maximum of one more year, since the radiation is expensive and I do not want to leave my mother in debt when he passes. This sent me into over drive, trying to get the hospital to cover his treatment since he has no insurance. Two days later, however, I received a call from Ellis Hospital saying his treatment would be covered. God must have answered my prayer.

I am now hoping to bring Gloucester to my parents’ house for Christmas. I am asking any business and subscribers to the Gloucester Times to donate an item or merchandise related to Gloucester.

All I am asking is for your close-knit community to pitch in for a guy who loves Gloucester, and to make his last Christmas a miracle Gloucester Christmas.

If anyone can help, please send an item to Louie Banardo, 1636 Rugby Road, Schenectady. N.Y., 12304 — and please put on the package “do not open until Christmas Eve.”

I can’t explain how much Gloucester means to me and my family. Is there a Gloucester Angel out there?

AL BANARDO

Schenectady, N.Y.