The scrunchy-bound lock of hair sitting atop Julianna "Jules" Cundiff's otherwise smooth scalp is a trophy of sorts for the 12-year-old who has fought a difficult health battle this spring. After intense chemotherapy in April caused most of Jules' silky brown hair to fall out, her mom suggested shaving off the stray pieces, but Jules insisted on keeping them.
"That's her security, I guess," Sarah Kriwiel says with a laugh.
The lock of hair is also a sign of hope: hope that Jules' tresses will return, that her body will continue making its own blood, and that she will have the energy and health to resume her life as a spunky, social preteen.
Jules, a student at Maize South Middle School, spent most of April and May at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., after receiving a bone marrow transplant to treat a rare and serious condition called aplastic anemia.
Jules was 9 when she was diagnosed with the unusual disease in which the body stops producing blood. At that time, doctors were able to treat the condition with medication and blood transfusions. But around Christmas 2017, blood work determined Jules had relapsed, and this time a bone marrow transplant was the only option.
With many possible complications and the need to destroy Jules' immune system with chemotherapy before the procedure, a bone marrow transplant was the last thing Sarah wanted for Jules, but she knew there was no choice.
None of Jules' immediate family members — mom Sarah and siblings Caroline, 21, Mary Kate, 20, and Clay, 17 — were compatible donors, so the team found a match through the National Marrow Donor Program.
High doses of chemotherapy took its toll on Jules, making her extremely sick and causing hair loss. She spent six weeks with a feeding tube, and with an extremely compromised immune system, visitors were limited.
As Jules progressed, she and Sarah moved into the Ronald McDonald House, returning to the hospital for daily checkups. Jules finally went home May 15, but a few days later was flown by jet back to Children's Mercy due to a fever that wouldn't break. Now back at home, she spends her days in bed but is eating well and gaining strength.
Sarah, a real estate relationship manager at Meritrust, has been on unpaid family leave throughout the ordeal and plans to return to work July 1. The care and kindness of her employer, family and friends — and even complete strangers — has been an amazing blessing, she said.
You can follow Julianna Cundiff's road to recovery on Facebook by searching "Jules' Journey." Friends have started an account to help Sarah, who is on unpaid family medical leave, at Meritrust Credit Union under "Fund of Hope for Jules." You can also donate to the account on the Facebook page.