Father Seeks Help for Daughter’s Cancer Treatment
A single father from St. Clair County is urgently reaching out for assistance to save his daughter’s life. His 17-year-old daughter was recently diagnosed with a rare and aggressive type of cancer, and unfortunately, their insurance is not covering the surgery she desperately needs.
For the past three months, Julianna Barrientos has been fighting osteosarcoma as a patient at the Alabama Children’s Center. She’s a strong and determined young woman, battling a fierce form of bone cancer. Most days she holds her own, but at times, the weight of her diagnosis feels overwhelmingly heavy.
“I need help because I want to live,” she said, her voice filled with emotion. “I can’t be away from my brothers and my father, and I just want to finish school.”
Without the necessary surgery, her survival is uncertain. This critical procedure cannot be performed at Children’s Hospital of Alabama. Medical professionals have advised that Julianna needs to travel to MD Anderson in Texas, but, unfortunately, Alabama Medicaid has denied that request.
Her father, Adam Barrientos, expressed the urgency of their situation: “Without this surgery, there’s no hope. If she waits too long, the scans will show that it has metastasized. MD Anderson wants us because we’re hoping there hasn’t been any spread yet, and that’s a blessing. But time is slipping away.” The aggressive nature of osteosarcoma typically affects teenagers and young adults. If doctors can catch the cancer before it spreads, the chance of survival is around 70% to 75%. However, once it metastasizes, that number drops to about 30%.
His heart heavy, Adam said, “It’s incredibly tough to watch my daughter. Every day, I see her getting worse, and it tears me apart. Any parent in my shoes would feel the same way. The hardest part is being told there’s a solution to save your child, but you can’t access it.”
Julianna has a remarkable outlook, stating, “At the end of the day, this is all part of God’s plan. He knows what will happen, and I just have to keep praying, many times a day, and trust in Him.”
Currently, the family is attempting to fund the surgery independently, but Adam mentioned the cost is around $60,000. They’ve launched an online fundraiser but are racing against time. Julianna understands that the surgery would involve losing her leg, yet she’s made it clear that she would rather live without it than not live at all.
