ATHENS, Greece - Olympic dreams aren't supposed to play out quite like this.

You see your daughter born, you watch her grow, you make jokes about how she's so fast she can outrun the family dog. And then, one day before you know it, she also is outrunning everyone in the world, and she's in the Olympic Games.

And you cannot go.

That's the situation Rochester, Pa., resident David Williams was in just a few weeks ago. Daughter Lauryn, formerly of the University of Miami, qualified to go to Athens in the 100 meters but David, 51, a leukemia patient, wasn't sure his health would allow him to make the trip. He didn't have any clue how his wallet would, either.

Although Lauryn's parents are divorced, they keep in touch and were comparing notes on how each would foot the five-figure bill to reach Greece. They held fund-raisers, but in David's first try, he took in $54.

All the while, David, a minister, kept the faith, telling everyone God and the goodness of people would find a solution.

David and her mother, Donna, on Friday saw Williams win both of her heats in the 100-meter run, including a time of 11.03 seconds, which was the second-fastest time of the day.

Williams qualified for Saturday's semifinals, with the finals to be held later in the day.

For David, his miracle came true when Tim Wiebe, a leukemia survivor who runs National Rehab in Pennsylvania, read about the family's crisis.

He called David to his office.

And wrote a check for $10,000.

"The guy threw his arms up in the air and said, 'God bless you. God, thanks for answering my prayer. I can see my girl run now,'" Wiebe said Thursday morning. "It was a very touching moment for us."

It meant plenty to Lauryn. Although she recently turned pro, the big paychecks sure to come haven't yet.

"I'm very excited to have my dad here and to know that he'll be safe and I don't have to worry about him getting sick," Lauryn said. "He initially said, 'I'm coming no matter what.' I'm like, 'Dad, I don't think it's a good idea.' They said they can't clean the contraption he has to use; he has to do that himself. But you know what? It's all taken care of."

Thanks in large part to Wiebe.

"I did it for one reason," Wiebe said. "I suffer from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I saw a guy who wasn't going to get to see his girl run in the Olympics. He's got leukemia. He's a very sick man. I run a health-care business, a national company. We do a lot of things for people. I looked at this guy and said, 'This is sad.' "

It's not the simplest of arrangements. Although David's leukemia is in slight remission, he also has kidney problems, so his doctors had to arrange for dialysis while he's in Athens. He must pay for that in cash.

"He seems to be pretty confident," Donna Williams said. "He says this is the greatest thing that's ever happened to him, so he's willing to take a chance and come."

"It's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me, either. I mean, let's be realistic. Just think about it: I've been watching the "Today" show and they're interviewing the parents. You look at them. Most parents - we're just parents. We just happen to have kids who have a talent. So yeah, we're pretty proud. Gee whiz, I wish it was me. Then again, I guess it is."