This is the video of Juliana's funeral. Just typing those words doesn't seem right. How can she be gone? Parents are not supposed to bury their child. There were about 200 people at the funeral and many of you wanted to pay your last respects to Juliana. My goal, at the funeral, was to share a small part of her journey, what Juliana is like and the evil of pediatric cancer.
There are no words to describe the emptiness that Tammy and I feel.
In the last couple of days we received a package from "Binkeez for Comfort." In the package was a poem, in addition to a blanket, that sums up some of what Tammy and I are feeling these days. It's called "I Still Would Have Chosen You" The poem was written by Terri Banish
"If before you were born, I could have gone to heaven and saw all the beautiful souls, I still would have chosen you...
If God had told me, "This soul would one day need extra care and needs," I still would have chosen you...
If He had told me, "This soul may make your heart bleed," I still would have chosen you...
If He had told me, "This soul would make you question the depth of your faith," I still would have chosen you...
If He had told me "This soul would make tears flow from your eyes that could fill a river," I still would have chosen you...
If He had told me "This soul may one day make you witness overbearing suffering," I still would have chosen you...
If He had told me, "All that you know to be normal would drastically change," I still would have chosen you...
Of course, even though I would have chosen you, I know it was God who chose me for you."
There were several people who tried to convince me to not conduct the funeral of Juliana. They said, as her Daddy, it would be too difficult. In my mind how could anyone else know Juliana more than her own parents. I hope Juliana was honored by the words of her Daddy and Mommy.
A HUGE THANK YOU to Steve Kownacki (www.trustffp.com) and Dan Carpenter (www.4square-productions.com) for their hard work in videoing and photographing the funeral and cemetery services for all of you.
We cannot believe she is gone. Juliana is so full of life, to positive, so willing to share her journey and now...she's gone. I promise I will NOT let her memory, her fight to beat cancer, her amazing attitude and her love for her family, friends and fans die...WE MISS HER SO VERY MUCH!
PLEASE help me continue her life journey so the world will know how evil pediatric cancer is and the courage that all the kids have to fight it every single day.
Love you all!
