On Thanksgiving night at 11:30 p.m., residents of Auburn will be watching a very touching show featuring Daniel Biljanoski, West Middle School eighth grader. The ABC “Nightline” crew has spent the past year filming Daniel's journey as he traveled from the operating room at University Hospital in Syracuse to the chemotherapy and radiation therapy facilities at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

The film crew greeted Daniel and his mother, Lisa as they exited a plane at 3:30 a.m. in Memphis last fall. They caught up with him at St. Jude's and then again, right here in our city on Friday, Nov. 7. The final filming occurred when they filmed Daniel amidst his classmates and teachers, managing his school work despite the initial threat of serious brain damage from both his cancerous tumor and the high-powered treatment to ferret out every tendril that may have lingered post-surgery.

The crowning addition to this year-long filming was achieved at Daniel's 13th birthday party on Nov. 8, when he and several friends celebrated Daniel's remarkable journey from sickness back to health despite all the odds against him. He is the first boy his age to have survived this long, and the first to be cancer free for several months post-treatment.

Over 1,200 people shared big steps along the path at the immensely successful benefit held here last March 30. News about his ongoing progress has been passed along the vast communication lines that formed among all the believers who knew he would survive and come home again.

One year ago on Nov. 24, those first steps were taken in the operating room. The support, love, and prayers of this community have lifted this family beyond the warnings of the medical experts to this day of celebration and true thanksgiving. The outpouring of community support, the affectionate regard for Daniel by all who met him at St. Jude's, and the consistently positive attitude of this very special teenager are truly a story worth telling this season.

Deborah P. Carey

Auburn

Carey is principal of West Middle School