Parents: Baby's brain tumor shrinks after papal kiss

Image 1 of 4

A Philadelphia baby has a new lease on life after a kiss from Pope Francis.

It's the kiss Gianna Masciantonio's parents call the Miracle on Market St.  They insist the quick kiss during the pontiff's recent visit to the city is partially responsible for her quick recovery.

One-year-old Gianna has a rare inoperable brain tumor.  Her blood cells attacked her brain stem just weeks after her birth.

The Masciantonio family showed up for the papal parade in front of Independence Hall two months ago expecing maybe a quick glance at the pope.  But what happened after the pope stopped to kiss their baby may have changed their lives.

"You can hardly see the tumor. It's just the blur," Kristen Masciantonio says.  "She's getting better and stronger.  She's blowing kisses.  She's starting to point at things."

"I think this is all from God.  I believe the pope is a messenger from God," Joey Masciantonio says.

Gianna was named for St. Gianna, a modern day saint who died in 1962.