Julian Ross was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma when he was six-years-old. Four years later, now 10-years-old, Julian's parents were told in February their son had two weeks to live. After four relapses the doctors felt there was nothing else they could do.
More than 100 days later, all spent at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia it was Julian's wish to be able to die at home and be with his younger brother and four dogs. (If you've been following Devon and Leah Still's story, you may see where this is going.)
"He wanted to be home," Kristi Thompson, Julian's mom said via Syracuse.com. "He wanted his pets and to be comfortable out of a hospital."
Oswego County Hospice (the care center where Julian lived) couldn't handle his hospice care at home and insurance wouldn't cover the care he needed.
Devon Still knows about Neuroblastoma all too well. It's the same type of cancer Leah Still was diagnosed with in 2014, and from which she's now in remission. Still shared a post on social media trying to spread the word about Julian and see what help it could draw:
Yesterday I received a message from a parent that stayed on my mind all night. While at CHOP I met a dad who has been beyond helpful to me and my family by explaining to us what to expect from different treatments that Leah would be receiving because he had already been through it with his 10 year old. His son, @julian_ross_9 , was diagnosed with neuroblastoma just like Leah. He beat the disease THREE times but the last time it came back it wouldn't go away. Doctors told Steve that they ran out of options for his son and gave him a estimation of how long he had to live. It was hard for the family to accept the fate the doctors gave Julian but eventually they did. Their family has been in the hospital for over 90 straight days waiting for Julian to pass away so they can donate his tumor to science to help find a cause and cure for this terrible disease that takes the life of so many innocent kids. After the 90 stay, Julian got tired of being in the hospital and decided he wanted to go home to spend his time left here on earth in a happy environment with friends and family. As you can tell from the text his wish was denied. What you also can tell from the text is that it was denied for a pretty sad reason. No kid should have to face death period (but with dealing with cancer it happens WAY too often) but when they do they damn sure shouldn't be told were to spend their remaining time. I told myself when my daughter was diagnosed that I would not only use my voice to fight for her, but every kid and family dealing with childhood cancer. So today I fight for you Julian and I will do everything I can to help your wish come true!!
His post certainly did spread the word and eventually Julian's family was connected with Samaritan Healthcare and Hospice in New Jersey, and from there, Mary Garbrielli.
Garbrielli, a New Jersey woman who lost her husband to ALS heard Julian's story and wanted to make a difference by taking in Julian and his family into her home with the help of her daughter. The two are trained hospice nurses. Now, after living months longer than doctors expected he would, Julian, his family and his four dogs are living with the Gabrielli's in their New Jersey home, which is as close to getting Julian had wanted.
It's great to see Devon Still continuing to make an impact in the cancer community and using his reach to lend a helping hand.
To learn more about Julian's story, check out the Facebook page ran by his family.