The Story Of Chris And Juliana

I'm not much of a fan of American Idol. I certainly don't watch it with any consistency apart from random 'must see' links that people post on various social networks. This clip was no different except that, for the most part, it caught my eye because the poster wrote 'This is a real man. This is real love.' in the description.

Here's the story:

Chris, an aspiring singer, said he fell in love with Juliana the first moment he saw her and the two became engaged in the coffee shop she worked in, in 2007. They had planned to wed two years after getting engaged, but shortly before they could walk down the aisle, Juliana suffered a brain injury in a tragic car accident.

On Monday night’s audition episode of “American Idol" he tugged at America’s heartstrings with more than just his singing. Chris auditioned, performing The Script’s “Breakeven,” and he brought along his beloved fiancée.

 

According to family she is making amazing progress every day but, of course, it has not been easy or inexpensive. For example, the protocol for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) at Midwest Hyperbaric calls for 40 treatments in one hour sessions each - five days a week. The sessions cost $200 each, so the total cost for this first round of HBOT is $8,000.00. Insurance companies still do not cover HBOT for traumatic brain injuries. It is considered research or experimental, despite years of proven success for TBI and other neurological disorders. To help cover the cost of HBOT and other innovative treatments, the Laurus Foundation has set up the Juliana Recovery Fund. You can contribute to this fund using the fund raising widget (left). You can also follow Juliana's progress and her family's valiant efforts to provide for her recovery on Facebook. Progress will be slow, but the Laurus Foundation believes that "...giving people hope – not dismal prognoses or false guarantees – but real hope that the body (and brain) is constantly at work repairing itself – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Our job is to give the body the treatments and ingredients it needs to do its jobs well."

Join me in helping this remarkable young lady and her brave and tenacious family as they do the hard work ahead.

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