“This is our lovely Julia.”

When Julia was two years old, she was diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus. She was in intensive care for a week.

After that, nothing was really the same. She stopped eating the food she had loved. She stopped growing. She stopped thriving.

We took her to doctor after doctor, trying to find out what was wrong. First, she was diagnosed with celiac disease, a gluten and wheat allergy. Then soy, corn, beef, pork, and nut allergies, too. It seemed these ingredients were in everything, not to mention as additives in other food that made those off-limits.

Overall it took us eight years to find out the breadth and scope of Julia’s allergies and stomach issues.

The amazing thing about my daughter is that throughout all of this, she has always been so happy. She has never carried her problems with her. She hardly ever missed a day of school and remains a straight “A” student. Overall, it is this positive attitude, the acceptance of things in life, and genuine compassion toward everything around her that I think people notice about her everywhere she goes.

- Lisa F.