(CNN) -- A family facing foreclosure is anything but a unique story in these troubled economic times. Daniel and Ebony Sampson with their children. "It's a personal miracle," she says of how their home was saved. But this is a happier story of one family whose financial ruin was averted by the actions of a friend, the compassion of strangers, the networking power of the Internet and the holiday spirit of giving. "This is our Christmas story," said Ebony Sampson. "It's going to be told for generations and generations to come." Sampson, who lives in Aberdeen, Maryland, with her husband, Daniel, and their two young children, has overcome more hardship than one person should ever have to face. When she was in the 10th grade, she lost her entire family in a horrific car accident. Raised by a grandmother in New York, Ebony eventually used some life-insurance money from her parents' death to buy the home in Aberdeen, near where she grew up.
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The kindness of strangers and power of the Internet saves one family's Christmas
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The Sampsons faced foreclosure until a friend blogged about their plight
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Within days, strangers from around the country donated more than $11,000
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Ebony Sampson: "It makes you understand what the season is all about"
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