R.O.C.K. Ride - Little Bios

Julia

Charlene & Mike Krause were given less than 10% odds of conceiving a child. On January 7, 2004, we were fortunate enough to give birth to a beautiful blonde haired blue eyed girl - she was the epitome of healthiness, and the Hospital called her the 'miracle baby'. She was named Julia May Krause. Our dream of such a perfect and wonderful life had just begun.

On August 7th, behind closed doors, we were given the saddest news any parent could ever receive. Baby Julia - only a mere 7 months of age, had been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She was full of cancer. Her strand of leukemia was diagnosed as 'A.L.L. T-Cell', which is very rare for any child under the age of 1 year. The odds of her contracting this cancer were 10-12 in 1,000,000. Her prognosis is grim to say the least, and her rate of survival had been deemed less than 30%.

Once diagnosed, Baby Julia was immediately transported to the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. She spent 7 days in the Pediatric Critical Care Unit, and was eventually moved to the Cancer Ward. As Canada has no 'Protocol' for infants (children less than 1 year of age), she was placed on a United States Protocol, and administered chemotherapy on a daily basis, followed with numerous injections and transfusions. This intense protocol continued for 8 weeks, and eventually failed. Baby Julia did not reach remission.

On October 5, Baby Julia was placed on her final Protocol. It was the last Protocol she would be placed on, as no others exist. It is referred to as 'T-Cell BMF', and is a Protocol based out of Germany. On December 23, 2004, remission was finally achieved! On December 27, 2004, a Bone Marrow match was found. The match was an unrelated 9/10. We were overwhelmed to say the least!

On March 2, 2005, Baby Julia was transported to the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children. Once there, she underwent massive dosages of chemotherapy and full body radiation. Her Bone Marrow Transplant was performed 8 days later. Having spent 62 days in the Transplant Unit, Baby Julia was finally released and able to go home! So far, her Bone Marrow Transplant appears to have been successful! She currently attends the Childrens Hospital of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, on a regular basis of 3 - 4 trips per week for follow up and maintenance. Baby Julia still has a long and difficult road ahead of her.

It is amazing how such a wonderful life can turn so tragic in a matter of minutes. We have seen so many children pass away from this horrible disease, and the pain, the suffering, and the torment the child has undergone, not to mention the parents and family. It deeply saddens us each and every time.

This is Baby Julia's story, and we thank you for taking the time to read it. We thank everyone for the kindness they have shown us during this difficult time.

Charlene, Mike, David, Sarah, Kaitlyn, and Baby Julia Krause

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