Team Julia

You can make a difference in Julia's life by donating today to her and her family as they go through an unthinkable time.

Julia (Juju) was only 5 years old when she was diagnosed B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL) and below is her story:

Julia had just turned five years old in December and by all accounts, she was like most children her age. She went to school, had lots of friends, and loved to play, sing, dance, jump, and run. She is incredibly social. She's been this way since she was a very little baby. We never knew what she was saying but she always had A LOT to say. She truly knows how to make people feel special and loved even if she just met you at Target. Her family recently started saying her superpower is making people happy and that could not be more true!

Juju has limitless energy! She is always on. From the second she was walking, she was running. Her mother, Grace Siegried, always jokes and says she is like a rubber band because there is never a moment when she's not moving. Her favorite thing about her daughter Juju is that she's always 100% herself. She is completely authentic, and Grace hopes it never changes.

Julia's personality and energy level suddenly came to a halt. She was weak and tired. She didn't want to walk anymore and slept a whole lot. It seemed like she could never catch her breath. She was always taking deep breaths which I attributed to anxiety. Her appetite was basically non-existent which was very odd because she loves to eat. She complained about pain anytime you would touch her. It seemed like all of a sudden she was just not herself.

Then came the nosebleeds that would not stop. The Siegfried family went to the ER and they said it was fine and they believed them even though deep down Grace felt something was wrong. Then she gradually became as pale as a ghost and all she wanted to do was sleep. She was complaining of ear pain, so Grace thought maybe she just had an ear infection. Juju never really got sick before so seeing her sick with anything was something very new for her Mother to see. Grace called the pediatrician again and for the last time, they told her to take Juju to urgent care (with disappointment as her Pediatrician did not see her once all the times Grace called with concerns, they pushed her off to Urgent Care once again). At this point as Grace rushed her to urgent care she had to be carried and she still thought she just had a bad ear infection. Juju’s heart was beating so fast that her mother could feel it through her winter jacket. Within minutes of being at Urgent Care, they told her to take Juju directly to CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) immediately. As you can imagine, Grace was hysterical on the drive up there. She didn't know what was wrong, but she knew in her heart that something was drastically wrong. Once in the CHOP ER, she explained all of the symptoms leading up to that moment. Within minutes of being there, the room was filled with doctors and nurses. The doctor brought Grace into the hallway and said, “We’re all really scared for Julia we think it is leukemia.” Grace explained that hearing those words would haunt her forever. Her body went limp and it felt like all air in her body escaped. Within the hour she was officially diagnosed with leukemia and the Siegfried family's lives had changed forever.

Fast forward to today, Julia's Treatment Plan over the course of the next 2 and 1/2 years consists of receiving multiple rounds of different chemotherapies. The first 10 months is the intense front-line treatment before she moves into the maintenance phase. During front-line treatment, she will get a lot of lumbar punctures (where they inject chemotherapy into her spinal column.) She will have to forgo a combination of infusion, injection, and oral chemotherapies plus 1 1/2 months of steroids. This also includes

2 months (28-day course each) of an immunization drug (Blinatumomab). Blina is a 24-hour 28-day infusion. Her port will be accessed for the full 28-day dose while she wears a backpack with the drug being infusion through her central line 24 hours a day.

Finally, after everything that this brave, beautiful, and courageous girl has to battle with in the next few years, she will start "Maintenance" which will last 1.5 years and will consist of daily oral chemotherapy, monthly infusion chemotherapy, and periodic lumbar punctures.

As Juju continues her cancer treatments at CHOP, we ask for prayers of healing for her and her family as well as any donation possible. As current medical bills pile up, The Siegfried Family's financial burdens will ensue as Julia continues her cancer journey.

If you would like to join us to HONOR and fundraise for Julia "Juju" come on out on Sunday, October 6th, 2-5pm at Aston Barnaby's for the 12th Annual Victoria Rose Fund "Team Julia"

more info on the event and Julia's full story here:

Team Julia