At just 16 years old, Julia Mitchell has overcome her fair share of challenges. The Arizona teenager has spent the past six months battling cancer after a tumor was found in her hip. Though the tumor has been removed, Julia still has to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and the family has no idea how long these treatments will last.
Julia’s mother, Wendy Mitchell, has chronicled her daughter’s journey on Facebook. This is how Katey McPherson found out about Julia’s story and eventually began a friendship with Wendy online. In an interview with local news station ACB 15, McPherson said that Julia’s story spoke to her.
”Cancer just stinks,” Mcpherson said. “We’ve all been touched by it, but to be so young and to have such a rare form of it and to not know what tomorrow brings is just heartbreaking.”
Before Julia found out about her diagnosis, she was saving up for a car that she could drive when she turned 16. When she started treatment for her cancer, the car wasn’t a priority anymore. The family couldn’t afford much beyond the expensive treatments, and the teen could no longer work to earn money.
In January of 2022, McPherson wrote a heartfelt post on Facebook about the family’s struggle with Julia’s diagnosis. McPherson often posts about parenting and community activism, and her page has over 11,000 followers. She shared that Wendy was planning a car parade for Julia when she came home from the hospital, and asked her followers if they would participate.
Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video
An Unexpected Response
Neither Wendy nor McPherson expected the response that they got from the post. Soon after Katey shared the post, people began commenting and asking what they could do.
Sandra Row was one of the people who was touched by Katey’s words. She reached out to Katey and donated $5,000 to buy Julia a new car.
“I heard her story through the Facebook post and then I reached out saying how could I help,” Row said.
Row was one of many who donated, and eventually, there was enough money to buy Julia the car she always wanted—a brand new Volkswagen Beetle. After the donations were added up, local car dealership Van Buick GMC covered the rest of the cost and delivered the car.
When Julia and her mother pulled into their neighborhood, they were shocked by the amount of people waiting on them to show their support. They drove past a parade filled with cars, motorcycles and law enforcement vehicles, all filled with people holding signs and cheering for Julia. After they pulled into their driveway, they saw Mcpherson driving Julia’s brand new car around the corner.
Katie got closer to Julia and Wendy and said, “That’s your new car. That’s for you!”
The Mitchells were almost at a loss for words. They said they never expected anything like this, and they were very grateful for the members of their community.
“I love it,” Julia said. “I was not expecting this at all.” Her mother wiped away tears and added, “It’s really overwhelming.”
What do you think about this local community’s support for a brave teenager? Pass this along to someone you know who would love this story as much as we do!
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