Juliana has suffered inexplicable abdominal pain her entire life. As an adolescent she normalized that pain by accepting the belief that some people live effortlessly, comfortable in their own bodies, and that their good fortune had somehow not been extended to her.
When she was five years old Juliana was sexually abused causing substantial damage to her pelvic structures including her left hip joint, tailbone, and connective tissue. She has suffered spastic abdominal bowel pain ever since. Her first hip replacement was at the early age of 37. It was not a successful surgery. The prosthetic was not properly fit to her diseased joint resulting in her suffering continuous easement injuries leading to even more inflammation and more severe pain.
For the past ten-years I have watched my wife, Juliana, become progressively more ill and debilitated. The advancing gut pain experienced with every meal she eats has recently evolved beyond being disruptive to her daily routine and is now completely undermining her ability to work, sleep, walk, or joyfully play. Whenever she eats she is immediately in great pain. A growing aversion to that pain has resulted in her losing nearly 30% of her body weight. She struggles daily to maintain a balance between pain and a survivable amount of malnourishment.
A hip revision surgery finally took place this past year just before Juliana’s 48th birthday - it was a resounding success, and Juliana is now, for the first time in her life without hip-joint pain! Now her focus is on healing her systemic inflammation and its auto-immune complications. Every specialist who examines Juliana runs their own tests. With few exceptions the results are always the same, “UNREMARKABLE,” a term the medical industry employs that is synonymous with “NORMAL,” which restricts the physician’s ability to conclude a diagnosis, instead, sending the patient home, “to wait and see.” On average women wait 2.5 to 4.5 years longer than men to receive an accurate diagnosis relating to their symptoms. During this gap in time a woman will likely be told her complaints, although tangible, may in fact be caused by her emotional and mental instability, compounding the systemic barriers that impede a proper diagnosis.
CURRENT CHRONOLOGY
In late 2022 Juliana accepted a position with The Walt Disney Company.
She went to work every day in severe pain. In 2024 several breakthroughs occurred – Juliana was differentially diagnosed with two rare immune dysfunctions; Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), and Pseudogout. Then, in January of 2025, no longer able to conceal her pain, Juliana requested and was granted a one-year medical leave of absence to seek insurance clearance for hip revision surgery in the hope it would abate the malignant progression of pain, fatigue and sleep deprivation, which had taken its toll on her immune system.
In August of 2025 while recovering from her corrective hip surgery Juliana experienced a neurologic event resulting in cognitive damage that affected her memory, speech, executive function, and fine motor skills. Soon after she began experiencing daily seizures, for which the cause has still not been determined. More recently Juliana received a diagnosis of Hypermobility Disorder, which increases the risk of developing Rheumatologic Autoimmune Dysregulation. Each diagnosed co-morbidity increases the likelihood of her body tipping the balance of chronic immune system pressure toward an acute system-overwhelm. Emerging multiple diagnosis provide clarity toward understanding how the recent assault on Juliana’s organs culminated during post-operative healing from her hip revision surgery.
Recently, Juliana and her physicians have assembled compelling evidence to suggest that the root cause of her Immune System Dysregulation is metastasized Endometriosis, which, along with many other cancer-like diseases frequently goes undiagnosed in women for more than a decade. A median diagnosis of ten years after the initial on-set of symptoms is not uncommon. Furthermore, it is estimated that one in ten women will experience symptoms of Endometriosis at some point during their life. Yet currently, only a small percentage of that number will ever be formally diagnosed.
PERSONAL HISTORY, AGENDA, GOALS
Juliana graduated from Plymouth University in England where she earned a degree in Composite Engineering. She is also an accomplished artist. Her paintings depicting physiologic systems of human anatomy are textbook perfect. Her insatiable curiosity in Medical Science led her to study Human Anatomy, Osteology, and Brain Neurochemistry which she focused on in two important ways – to discover why her body had turned against her and how to educate and warn her two daughters about what may lie ahead for them based on their genetic predispositions.
PLEASE, SUPPORT JULIANA IN HER TO FIGHT TO SURVIVE
The total loss of income combined with the loss of medical insurance is a frightening and stressful financial situation to overcome even for someone who is in excellent health, let alone someone struggling every day to simply stay alive long enough for her body to heal. Juliana’s doctors indicate her Systemic Immune Dysregulations, which include Endometriosis, will restrict her ability to return to work for more than another year during this time Juliana intends focus on continuing her studies in the healing arts to be better able to assist and guide others through their healing journey by developing mindful healing techniques, a robust awareness of specific forms of physical therapy, and a better understanding native nutritional therapies.
JULIANA’S PLEA
Please help support me in my struggle to survive, and to create a dignified life for myself. I want to regain my health and strength so I can pay forward the kindness shown to me. I am excited to share what I have learned about my body’s relationship with auto-immune diseases while navigating a path of healing. Keeping myself alive so I can return to the joy of living a pain free life.