Meet Julia

This project was inspired by our daughter Julia, who was paralyzed by a blood clot when she was just 17 months old. Since her injury, our family has been focused on Julia's recovery; whatever that may look like and have been persevering through the years to promote as much movement and function as possible. 

Julia is a vibrant, smart, active and social girl who uses a manual wheelchair to get around. Like all kids her age, Julia loves to get outside to play with her friends. Unfortunately, due to the lack of inclusive play spaces in our community of West Kelowna, it's such a heartbreaking sight watching her struggle both physically and emotionally in an inaccessible environment, that we simply avoid going to playgrounds altogether.

Julia participates in multiple physical therapy sessions every week and works extremely hard in all aspects of her young life. While the future is unknown, what we do know, is that her activity based therapies will only help to heal and re-train her spinal cord. These therapies will also help to keep Julia’s body strong and in good shape, and ready for the cure which will hopefully be available at some point during her lifetime. She is now self-motivated to learn how to walk again – she’s in grade 2 this year and is becoming a very independent little lady; however with that drive for independence comes frustration. 

Julia, her friends, and everyone else living with some form of disability, in our community, deserve a place to play and that is why we are building Julia's Junction!