Last week, nearly 400 people gathered to sing Christmas carols to provide support to a neighbor who had recently been diagnosed with cancer.
These days, Christmas caroling is usually relegated to school theatres and malls. But last Wednesday, almost 400 carolers gathered in Kathy and Mike Alienello’s front yard in Lebanon, Ohio. Although the wind was bitterly cold, the crowd of singers performed Christmas classics like “The First Noel” and “Away in a Manger” for the couple and their two children.
Kathy Alienello watched the singers perform with tears in her eyes. She had recently been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and the mass caroling session was a show of support from her friends, families, church members, and community.
The event was organized by Laura Gerald, a woman from the Alienellos’ church, who had sent an email to a small group of people several days earlier. “We just wanted to do something to show (the Alienello’s) that the community is supporting them and cheer them up this season,” she told the Dayton Daily News.
The email had been forwarded to many others in the community, and the word had spread. Gerald had only expected a small group of singers to show up, and was astonished to see how many members of her community had shown up to sing for Alienello.
No one was more surprised than Kathy Alienello, however. Receiving such an outpouring of support from her community made her more determined than ever to fight the disease.
“I’m just shocked and surprised,” she said. “Everyone is praying for me and I’m not giving up.”