Six-year-old Julia, affectionately known as “Juju,” is full of life. She loves ballet, basketball, and being the center of attention. “Julia is the mayor everywhere she goes,” says her mom, Grace. “She’ll strike up a conversation with anyone. Last summer, a woman even found me online after meeting Julia in a store. She told me she’d been having such a rough day, and Julia made her feel better.”
But in January 2024, Juju’s joyful energy disappeared. She was pale, exhausted, and could no longer walk. Grace rushed her to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where doctors diagnosed her with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) — the most common type of childhood cancer.
Juju spent her first week in the ICU, needing seven blood transfusions and five platelet transfusions just to survive.
“Julia almost died the day she was diagnosed,” Grace recalls. “It was the worst day of my life.”
A Breakthrough in Childhood Leukemia Treatment
After months of grueling chemotherapy, Juju’s family learned of a groundbreaking pediatric cancer clinical trial supported by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The trial was studying blinatumomab (blina), an innovative immunotherapy for kids with leukemia.
Unlike traditional chemotherapy, blina is a targeted treatment that helps the immune system attack cancer cells while reducing toxic side effects. Even more remarkable: Juju could receive the treatment at home, delivered through a pump in a small backpack.
Grace admits she was nervous at first. “I didn’t know how Julia would handle being attached to the backpack. But she adapted right away. She wore it to school, to dance, even to the playground. She did flips and dance shows in our living room with it bouncing around on her back!”
Most importantly, blina gave Juju her energy back. “I finally had my kid again,” Grace says. “She was stronger, she was eating, and she could just be Juju.”
Why Pediatric Cancer Research Matters
Juju’s story shows how childhood cancer research leads to lifesaving breakthroughs. Thanks to donor-funded research, kids with leukemia now have safer, more effective treatments that improve survival rates and reduce long-term side effects.
“I can’t thank supporters enough,” Grace says. “Anything that gives my daughter a better chance to survive is truly a gift.”
But she knows not all families are as fortunate. “Juju has a common leukemia that has been well studied, but many other cancers don’t have that. No parent should ever hear, ‘There are no more options.’ That’s why funding research is so critical.”
Join the Backpack Challenge
Juju’s family is taking on the St. Baldrick’s Backpack Challenge — wearing a backpack for 28 days to honor the strength of kids like Juju who have endured treatment with a backpack on their shoulders.
You can join them. By wearing a backpack for 28 days, you’ll walk in solidarity with kids fighting cancer, carrying a small reminder of the heavy burden they face every day.
Together, we can lighten the load for kids with cancer — and bring hope for cures.
Join the Backpack Challenge Today
Donate to Juju’s Fundraiser
