Julissa

From the Impossible to an Eternal Purpose

“My name is Julissa, and this is my story. I was born the 11th of 12 siblings, but my arrival into the world was different. I was born with a rare condition called bladder exstrophy, which occurs in 1 out of every 30,000 births.

In Honduras, doctors gave me no hope. They said I only had days to live. They even suggested leaving me at the hospital to die. But there was something they didn’t know: God already had the final say over my life.

Against all odds, I kept living. My mother, a woman full of faith, love, and courage, chose to fight for me. Without fully understanding what we were facing, she did the only thing she knew how to do: never give up. She cared for me, protected me, and tirelessly searched for doctors who could help me.

However, we faced another reality: we did not have the financial resources to afford the surgery I needed, and there were no specialists in my country who could perform it. For years, every attempt at surgery in Honduras seemed to fail.

Something always went wrong in the operating room. It was as if my story wasn’t ready to be written yet… until the right moment came.

A Miracle Called Opportunity

In 2004, at just 9 years old, I met Dr. Allan Sabillón, who introduced us to John Millonig, president of Mountain of Hope.

In just two months, my life changed completely—I traveled to Orlando for a surgery that would shape my destiny. On June 23, I underwent a 9-hour surgery.

Afterward, I spent 9 days in a medically induced coma, followed by several months of recovery. It was a difficult process, but it was also the beginning of a new life.

After my recovery, I made one of the most important decisions of my life: I was baptized in the Episcopal Church, and John, along with his wife Susie, became my godparents.

From that moment on, they were no longer just part of my medical journey—they became part of my family.

Faith in the Middle of Uncertainty

In 2018, John once again extended his hand to me and took me back to Florida for medical checkups and a reconstructive surgery called vaginoplasty—a procedure that would transform my quality of life and open new possibilities for my future.

In the middle of fear, God answered. Not all at once, but with certainty. Not with noise, but with love. Today, I am 30 years old. I have a home with my best friend, and I am a growing entrepreneur.

But beyond all of that, I am living proof that God’s plans are always greater than our diagnoses. I firmly believe I was born to bring hope. To speak to those who feel forgotten by God. To remind the world that miracles exist—and that sometimes they have a name, a story, and a purpose.

Every year, I serve in the mission of Mountain of Hope, because I know what it feels like to be on the other side: to wait, to need, and to believe. My greatest dream now is to create a nonprofit organization that helps people with complex medical conditions travel to the United States and receive the treatment they need—just as John once did for me.

I want to continue this legacy. I want to be the answer for others.