Our precious 19 year old daughter, Julia, has spent the last 5 years battling severe chronic illness. She has endured great suffering and horrific physical symptoms, along with the confusion of misdiagnosis and the pain of various medical treatments, all while her health has continued to decline.

Julia was always a healthy, vibrant and active child. She developed a love of tennis from a very young age and was playing in tournaments all over the country by the age of 12. She also displayed an incredible love for learning and was always at the top of her class. She was always full of life! In 2017, at the age of 15, Julia started to notice swelling on the right side of her face, which continued down her neck and into her arms. She also started having extreme pain and fatigue, and went from being a top athlete to barely being able to get up and go to school, let alone try to play tennis. We pursued many doctors at Children’s Hospital, went through months and months of ER visits and even a hospital stay, but they all ended in frustration with no apparent diagnosis.

Many specialists later, Julia was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and Lyme co-infections, and this is still an ongoing battle. However, she has now also been diagnosed with MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome), POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), and CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome), all stemming from a significant exposure to Toxic Mold.

These illnesses have made life a daily battle for Julia; at this point, she is unable to walk unassisted due to neurological effects, and requires full-time care. The pain and swelling in her body, along with other painful symptoms such as sensitivity to light and sound, make it an incredibly tough journey.

Through it all, Julia is such a trooper and fights so hard just to get out of bed every morning, take her medication, and live to fight another day. She is also taking online college classes, and is succeeding academically despite the brain fog and physical challenges she faces. We are so proud of her.

It’s so difficult to see Julia enduring such agony, and this painful and heartbreaking journey of suffering has also led to financial hardships for our family as we have sought treatment for our sweet daughter. It is hard for us to share our financial burden, but we do so because we are committed to doing whatever it takes to help our precious daughter be well.

At this point, we are facing significant, ongoing medical bills. Additionally, because Julia’s toxic burden is so high, and even a slight exposure to mold has devastating consequences for her health, we have had to purchase a trailer for Julia to live in. Our share of this purchase alone was over $25,000, plus the costs of a new mattress, bedding, and clothing that had not been exposed to any mold. In light of all this, as

Julia’s parents, we ask that you pray for her full recovery and healing, and we thank you for considering financially supporting her medical treatment.

Please note that this is an old photo of Julia during her healthier days; current photos are difficult due to her suffering. Also, we hope Julia’s story will encourage the medical community to pursue better testing for the detection of tick-borne illnesses, as well as better education and treatment for environmentally acquired illnesses such as Mold Toxicity. We pray for the help of seriously ill patients such as Julia that are suffering so badly while frequently being misdiagnosed.

Love,

The Failla family
Greg, Katrina, Jessica, Joshua, Julia, and Joel