Julianna's Legacy and Family's Farewell

Julianna Szijarto emigrated from Hungary with nothing but the pile of laundry in the backseat that was hiding her son, a pregnant belly, her husband at the time, and a few bucks stashed in the frame of the car. They used their government issued vacation passes to make it through border control and found asylum in Germany. Shortly after she gave birth to her second son, and her eldest son got some much-needed surgeries. While Germany was a nice host to the family, they found no means of furthering life there, as they were not allowed to work.

Julianna, the determined person she has always been, applied for Asylum in the USA and got it. The family moved to Los Angeles, then to Texas, Florida, Colorado, and eventually ended up putting down roots in Richmond, Virginia. Julianna often worked many jobs at once, always trying to provide the best she could for her sons. She has a brilliant personality and is a real charmer, and that landed her a top tier job at the famous Lemaire restaurant inside the Jefferson Hotel, as the head bartender.

When her husband wanted to start a music venue, she funded and ran The Camel as the manager. Although under different ownership, The Camel is now considered a Richmond staple, although few know that it wouldn't exist without a Hungarian woman.

In January 2025, Julianna's leg started feeling weak. By March, she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. The stage 4 glioblastoma is in the center of her brain. It is inoperable and did not respond to radiation and chemotherapy. Our mission now is to make her as comfortable and happy as we can as her adventurous life comes to a close.

One of the things we want to do is bring her family members in Hungary to the US to say their goodbyes. We are hoping to get enough donations to pay for their plane tickets. Any additional funds will be used to pay for her medical bills and eventually her funeral costs.

Thank you so much for reading Julianna's story, and please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.