Julianne's Journey to Christmas Joy

Welcome to our 11th annual Julianne's Journey to Christmas Joy Toy Drive and Fundraiser for CURE Childhood Cancer Association!

Every year we reach out to our facebook friends and various community affiliations to collect funds, new unwrapped toys, gas gift cards, grocery gift cards, etc., to give assistance during the holiday season to the CURE Childhood Cancer famillies who are in for the fight of their children's lives. Julianne's Journey to Christmas Joy is about making things just a fraction easier for these families during the holiday season and throughout the rest of the year if we can, because the last thing you are thinking about is buying Christmas presents and fixing Christmas dinner when you are fighting for your child's life.

We appreciate each and every donation, no matter the amount. You can either give monetarily and I can buy the toys, gas gift cards, grocery gift cards, etc., or you can purchase them yourselves and I would be happy to come to where you are to collect them. Please share this with everyone you know.

Julianne Marie Miller was born February 20, 2006, my fifth child and the baby of the family. She was funny, precocious and extremely compassionate and exhibited generosity to anyone she knew. After a motorcycle run BBQ chicken fundraiser held in her honor, she was given the opportunity for a sky's-the-limit toy shopping spree. The first four gifts she picked out were for her brothers and sister, not even thinking about herself, something that not too many 4-year-olds may think of. She was wise beyond her years. On a visit from two of my friends who came to check on her afterwards, she insisted we give them the last two princess cupcakes for visiting her. Julianne never let her disease define her. She was a giver, and she loved making others happy. Whether it was by giving a tight hug around the neck or throwing her fake plastic vomit on the floor to get a laugh out of anyone watching, she wanted to be a bright spot in people's lives....and she was.....she still is.

Julianne's story begins here, but it is neverending as long as we carry on her legacy of compassion and love for others through Julianne's Journey to Christmas Joy:

On February 14, 2010, we were getting ready for church and I noticed as Jessica, my 11 year-old, was helping Julianne, my 3 year-old, get dressed that something seemed "off" to me. Julianne seemed "off". She complained to Jessica that her left arm hurt and she couldn't raise it to help put it in the sleeve of her purple dress. I asked Julianne to walk up and down the hall for me. She was limping to the left, and as I looked closely at her face I noticed her left eye and the left of her mouth were droopy. I knew something was wrong. I didn't know what, but there was definitely something wrong. My first thought was that she had a stroke, but she was walking and talking and playing without really missing a beat. I told Julianne's dad that something was wrong and I needed to call 911. The emergency team showed up and we took Julianne for a ride in the "truck that makes fun noises", which is what we told her we were doing. Little did I know that in approximately 5 hours our life would be turned upside down by a diagnosis of an inoperable brainstem glioma.

In the ER, the CT scan showed some swelling at the brainstem. I could tell by the looks on some of the medical professionals' faces, this was not going to be something simply fixed or resolved easily. I called Mark and one of my best friends, Kelly, to come to the hospital. I knew it wouldn't be good, and I was scared. The doctors in the ER recommended an MRI scan and soon after we were in the waiting room for approximately 3 hours while they explored Julianne's area of swelling while she slept soundly under anesthesia.

In the waiting room I remained calm and positive...but, that only lasted so long. I began to cry out of fear of what it could be. Dr. Koronas ( who we were very very fortunate to have on call in the emergency room that day) came in and said, "by the look on your face I can see you have already been told"...no, we hadn't, but we just were....

His prognosis did not appear to be favorable whatsoever. His demeanor, although compassionate as could be, was sullen and very, very sad. I wasn't aware of too much at that moment. I knew Mark was crying and distraught...I knew Kelly was crying as she began making phone calls to friends and family for me. When the weight of what he was saying sunk in, I didn't have anything to the extent of the room spinning...I didn't feel panic....I cried hysterically for a brief moment, then I asked, "okay, what is our course of action?" That was what I was going to focus on....not the prognosis, not the chances, not the percentage and definitely not the calendar. I didn't want to know...I wanted to know what we were going to do about it, and as soon as they wheeled her out of the room I just wanted to be next to her and didn't want to be away from her side, not even for a second. When she awoke, we were in a room in the 4-1400 unit of Strong Memorial Hospital's Golisano Children's Hospital, which I knew was the very best place we could be to start this journey. Julianne was about to turn 4 in six days.

.....that was the first day of a very different life.

Please give to help those fighting this fight this holiday season. Because buying Christmas presents and making Christmas dinner is the last thing you are thinking about when you are fighting for your child's life.

Thank you.

Shari and Family

Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit C.U.R.E. Childhood Cancer Association (C.U.R.E.), and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

More information about C.U.R.E. Childhood Cancer Association (C.U.R.E.): Improving the lives of children and families coping with childhood cancer or chronic blood disorders by providing emotional, educational, social and financial assistance; promoting and funding research toward a cure. C.U.R.E. assists every child in the Rochester, NY area who is receiving treatment at Golisano Children's Hospital.