about us press room Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach Patient, Julia Hernandez, Chosen as One of Only Five National “Ambassador Kids” for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation
Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach Patient, Julia Hernandez, Chosen as One of Only Five National “Ambassador Kids” for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation chooses children across the nation to represent the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and bring awareness of childhood cancer. They choose five children to represent the unnerving, but very real statistic, that one in every five children diagnosed with various forms of cancer will not survive. “Ambassador Kids” represent the foundation by attending local St. Baldrick’s events and speaking at various functions to put a face and voice to the cause. The five St. Baldrick's Foundation 2011 Ambassador Kids will serve as the face and voice of the Foundation for the upcoming year. Julia’s diagnosis came out of nowhere. She was always pretty healthy and just like any other teenager, you couldn’t get her iPod headphones out of her ears. Julia is a fun-loving 16-year-old that loves music and sports. Just 10 days before her 16th birthday, Julia had unexplained knee pain in both knees that took her to the emergency room. After the ER, she and her mother, Beth, followed up with the orthopedist and visited the hospital for pain management. On the day after Valentine’s Day Julia officially diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) the following day. Her knee pain was caused from leukemia cells in the bone marrow running out of room to grow. "It is such an honor that the St. Baldrick’s Foundation chose one of the Jonathan Jaques Children's Cancer Center at Miller Children's Hospital patients to be a national ambassador for their organization,” said Jerry Z. Finklestein, MD, founding Medical Director, JJCCC. "Julia is such an amazing girl and has an equally amazing story. She is the perfect example of a teenager overcoming cancer. She has a great heart and a wonderful spirit. I am very proud of Julia." “I was excited to be chosen as a National Ambassador for St. Baldrick’s because I’m not afraid of being known,” says Julia. “I felt that if someone wanted to hear about childhood cancer that they would want to hear a success story.” Julia is in remission and doing well. Instead of spending her time in the hospital, Julia spends her time thinking about college and getting her driver’s license. Even though she is done with treatment, she will need to visit the clinic for regular blood checks for the rest of her life. About The Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center About the St. Baldrick’s Foundation |
LONG BEACH, Calif. – December 7, 2010 –Every year the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research, chooses five children whose lives have been affected by cancer, to be national “Ambassador Kids.” Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center’s (JJCCC) patient, Julia Hernandez, 16, was chosen to be a 2011 “Ambassador Kid.”
