Donate to support Juliana’s health

Photo of Juliana taken on February 15, 2024, after her LVAD

Hello everybody,

I’m making this GoFundMe on behalf of the Dal Pra family.

Juliana contracted COVID-19 in October 2020 during her front-line medical work at a nursing home in Wisconsin. Juliana experienced the typical symptoms of COVID-19. However, for someone in their early 30s with no preexisting conditions outside of anemia we, like many, did not expect Juliana to have such life-altering impacts from the virus.

However, on January 27, 2021, Juliana fainted and lost consciousness while working. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors found a low blood count, widespread blood clots in her lungs and legs, and heart abnormalities.

Since January 2021, Juliana has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, bone marrow failure, and a blood-clotting disorder. She has been hospitalized numerous times and she has had multiple procedures including bone marrow aspirations, heart catheterizations, and a balloon pump for her heart. In addition, she has needed blood transfusions at a cadence of every three to four weeks. And, on top of this, her heart function has continually declined. Juliana continued to work (at a WI nursing home) as often as she could between her weekly doctor’s appointments. Juliana, despite her declining health, had to work at least 32 hours per week to maintain healthcare benefits. Her family stepped up to help her pay monthly bills.

In December 2023, Juliana was hospitalized yet again, and the doctors realized her heart was at twenty percent function (ejection fraction), putting her in end-stage heart failure. Doctors said Juliana’s poor health warranted extended leave from work, which was and is unpaid.

By January 31, 2024, Juliana’s heart function dropped to eleven percent. On February 8, while in the hospital, Juliana went into cardiac arrest. The doctors resuscitated her but they realized we did not have the luxury of time to understand the origins of Juliana’s heart and bone marrow failure.

On February 15, 2024, Juliana had an open-heart surgery, where doctors implanted a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to help increase her heart’s strength and ability to pump blood from her heart’s left ventricle.

After the LVAD, Juliana will have weeks in the ICU and hospital before transitioning to a rehabilitation center. Juliana will need regular LVAD check-up appointments at Northwestern Memorial in downtown Chicago. Additionally, doctors are going to continue exploring the origins of her bone marrow failure and working to improve her hemoglobin issues. The family is also hoping Juliana will eventually be a candidate for a heart transplant once her body stabilizes with the LVAD.

This fundraiser will, hopefully, relieve a small amount of stress for Juliana and her family. We all know how expensive long hospital stays, surgeries, healthcare insurance, and medication are, and it’s the last thing Juliana and her loved ones should be thinking about right now.

At this point, Juliana already has more than $10,000 in unpaid medical bills, this is not including her recent ICU stay, LVAD surgery, rehabilitation, or any of the forthcoming costs given the recent developments with Juliana’s health. Though Juliana will be moving back home to live with her parents, which will help limit some expenses. Juliana will not be able to return to work for at least another four to six months. Juliana and the Dal Pra family are grateful for any support you can provide.

Juliana is kind, beautiful, thoughtful, and hopeful and has stayed strong even during her hardest days. To read more about Juliana’s journey since January 2024, you can visit her Caring Bridge Page.