OurStory

OUR STORY

OUR STORY STARTS OUT A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN MOST. I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM AN SCF WORKER ABOUT A BABY GIRL IN NEED OF A MEDICAL FOSTER HOME AS SHE WOULD BE READY TO LEAVE THE HOSPITAL SOON. I WAS EXCITED YET WASN'T SURE, AS I HAD LOST MY SON JUSTIN, FROM COMPLICATIONS DUE TO HIS CEREBRAL PALSY, A FEW MONTHS PRIOR. I REALLY WASN'T FEELING READY TO BE A MOM AGAIN, MY HEART WAS STILL SO BROKEN. I EXPLAINED TO THE WORKER ABOUT MY FEELINGS AND DECLINED.

I WASN'T ABLE TO SLEEP MUCH THAT NIGHT THINKING OF THAT BABY GIRL, WHO NOBODY WANTED.

JULIANNA WAS BORN WITH FATAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME, PIERRE ROBIN SYNDROME, WHICH REQUIRED HER TO HAVE A TRACHEOTOMY IN ORDER TO BREATH. WITH HAVING A TRACH SHE ALSO NEEDED A GASTROSTOMY TUBE FOR FEEDING. SHE ALSO HAD A CLEFT PALETT, AND A HEART DEFECT.

THE DOCTORS AT THE TIME ALSO THOUGHT SHE MAY HAVE A GENETIC BIRTH DEFECT, WHICH WOULD CAUSE HER TO BE BLIND AND DEAF. SO MANY NEEDS FOR SUCH A SMALL BABY. AFTER THINKING FOR A COUPLE DAYS I JUST COULDN'T STAND IT, I CALLED THE WORKER BACK AND SAID YES.

THE NEXT THING I KNOW I'M OFF TO PORTLAND. TO PICK UP A 4 LBS 10 OZ BABY GIRL. I WAS SO NERVOUS, I HAD TO MEET HER DOCTOR AND HAVE SOME TRAINING BEFORE WE CAME HOME. AS I WALKED OVER TO HER BED SHE LOOKED RIGHT AT ME WITH HER LITTLE ROUND EYES, LIKE SHE HAD BEEN WAITING FOR ME. I MET DR. MELCZEK, WHO WAS THE MOST AWESOME PERSON I EVER MET, HE WAS TO BE HER MAIN DR. OVER THE YEARS, THAT DID ALL HER RECONSTRUCTION SURGERIES. I WORKED WITH HIM AND THE NURSES FOR A FEW HOURS TO LEARN HOW TO REPLACE TUBES, AND FEED HER, THEN THEY MADE SURE WE HAD EVERYTHING WE NEEDED TO COME HOME. THEN WE WERE ALL PACKED UP, ONE TINY BABY AND A CAR FILLED WITH MACHINES AND SUPPLIES. NOW WE WERE READY TO START OUR LIFE TOGETHER.

OVER THE NEXT SIX YEARS JULIANNA WENT THROUGH MANY SURGERIES TO REPAIR HER CLEFT PALETT, AND TO CLOSE HER TRACH AND FEEDING SITES. THROUGH ALL OF HER SURGERIES AND DIFFICULTY SHE OVER CAME MANY OF THE INTIAL PROGNOSIS. THEY TOLD US SHE WOULDN'T WALK AND SHE DID WHEN SHE WAS THREE. TALKED WITH THEY THOUGHT SHE WOULD NEVER TALK. WE WERE TOLD SHE WOULD NEVER EAT AND SHE DID. SHE TURNED INTO A BRIGHT INTELLIGENT LITTLE GIRL. JULIANNA WAS WISE BEYOND HER YEARS. SHE STARTED PRE-SCHOOL IN 1999. JULIANNA ADORED HER TEACHER BETSY. BETSY TAUGHT HER ABOUT ALL THE WONDERS OF NATURE. JULIANNA AT FIRST FEARED TO TOUCH THINGS. BETSY TAUGHT HER THE JOY OF TOUCHING THINGS. SHE LEARNED TO LOVE ALL KINDS OF BUGS, FROGS, AND OTHER SLIMY THINGS. SHE STARTED KINDERGARTEN IN THE FALL OF 2001 AND WAS THRIVING BOTH AT HOME AND IN SCHOOL. JULIANNA HAD THE MOST WONDERFUL SENSE OF HUMOR AND FOUND GREAT JOY IN THE SMALLEST THINGS. SHE LOVED HER FAMILY, ESPECIALLY HER BEST BUD HER COUSIN AMANDA.

THE LAST WEEK THAT JULIANNA WAS ALIVE SHE WAS NOT FEELING WELL. SHE WAS FEELING A LOT LIKE SHE HAD THE FLU. I TOOK HER IN TO THE DOCTOR THINKING SHE JUST HAD THE FLU BUT WANTING TO HAVE HER LOOKED AT. THEY LOOKED AT HER AND AND SAID THEY THOUGHT SHE HAD THE FLU AND SENT HER HOME. SHE DID NOT GET ANY BETTER SO I TOOK HER TO THE HOSPITAL AND THEY DID AN XRAY. THEY SAW WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS CONSTRIPATION THEY SENT HER HOME AGAIN.
SHE WAS NOT GETTING ANY BETTER SO I TOOK HER BACK IN ABOUT 1 1/2 HOURS. THEY MADE THE DECISION TO SEND HER UP TO PORTLAND TO A CHILDRENS TRAMA CENTER. THEY DISCOVERED IN PORTLAND THAT SHE HAD A BLOCKAGE IN HER INTESTINE. THEY TOOK HER INTO EMERGENCY SURGERY. THEY WERE ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM BUT THE POSION FROM THE BLOCKAGE STOPPED HER HEART. SHE DIED DURING SURGERY.

I FIND IT SO HARD TO WRITE HER, OUR STORY EVEN THOUGH JULIANNA WAS WITH US FOR ONLY 6, ALMOST 7 YEARS SHE HAD ACCOMPLISHED SO MUCH. SHE GREW TO BE SUCH A LOVING, VIBRANT, LITTLE GIRL, SHE HAD SO MANY PEOPLE WHO LOVED HER. THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS SHE GOT TO DO, THAT I AM SO HAPPY ABOUT. JULIANNA FINALLY WENT TO THE BEACH AND THAT WAS SUCH A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE FOR US BOTH. SHE GOT TO RIDE AN ELEPHANT. JULIANNA WAS ABLE TO MAKE FRIENDS AT SCHOOL AND WAS INVITED TO BIRTHDAY PARTIES. SHE LOVED TO SWIM IN OUR POOL AND LEARNED TO GO UNDERWATER. JULIANNA LEARNED TO TALK AS WELL AS USE SIGN LANGUAGE, SHE WAS LEARNING TO READ AND WRITE. SHE GRADUATED FROM KINDERGARTEN AND WE HAD PLANNED A GOOD 1ST GRADE YEAR FOR HER. I AM SO PROUD TO BE HER MOM.

THERE IS SO MUCH I WANT TO SHARE AND MAYBE IN TIME I CAN. I HAVE MANY PEOPLE TO THANK FOR ALL THEY HAVE DONE FOR JULIANNA AND I, OVER THE YEARS. I WISH TO THANK SHAY CRABTREE FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL SITE AND FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK. YOU ARE TRUE FRIEND, THANK YOU.