Family Serves Up Help For Three-Year-Old With Brain Tumor

PUEBLO – It’s news no parent ever wants to hear; a child diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. But one Pueblo family is working to make the best of a scary situation. Three-year-old Julian Perez is undergoing radiation treatments to combat a brain tumor. Sunday, Julian’s family dished up some dinner to help with the financial burden of his diagnosis. Julian has been in Denver Children’s Hospital for most of the last month, but now the Pueblo community is coming out to show support for the family and for Julian. His family says he’s keeping everyone’s spirits up. “I never thought, since the day he was born, how playful, how smart he is, how well behaved he is,” says Desiree Perez of her son, “that anything like that would ever happen to him.” But something did happen. July 26, three-year-old Julian was diagnosed with a brain tumor. “I didn’t know what else to do but cry,” says Perez. He just finished his second week of radiation treatment at Denver Children’s Hospital. “It’s been really tough, really, really tough,” Perez says, “I’d rather be home with him playing.”

“At the beginning he was scared, everybody was poking and prodding him with needles,” says Jarad Velazquez, Perez’s fiancé, “he was so scared.” Sunday, Julian got the chance to play like any other three-year-old, but it’s just a short break from the hospital. “Every little thing from being stuck in the hospital room for days and days has been tough and surprisingly, he’s been more happy and cheerful about it than myself and mama have,” Velazquez says. It’s that cheerful attitude that keeps the family optimistic about Julian’s treatment. “I see the way he’s dealing with the chemo and his happy spirits,” says Velazquez says of staying optimistic. “If I could just get a lot of people to pray for my baby,” Perez says, “he’s a really good boy.” If you’d like to make a donation to Julian, contact Janette at 719-369-4013.