When Julia Hoy was a child, her doctors said she would never be able to walk. But today, Julia will walk with the rest of the Class of 2018 during Mt. San Antonio College’s 72nd commencement at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario.
“I was born with my legs caught up in knot like a pretzel,” said Julia, now 24, about the rare congenital condition, arthrogryposis, that she has suffered with from birth.
Initially, doctors said there was an 85 percent chance she would never walk. She underwent seven surgeries at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and years of physical therapy to stretch her legs while attempting to walk.
At four years old, with her family around her, her brother held out a bag of marshmallows to her. If she wanted any, she would have to move by herself. And very slowly, she did just that.
“That’s the day I knew that with physical therapy I could walk someday,” she said.
In August 2016, she enrolled in Mt. SAC’s Respiratory Therapy Program.
“I chose this career for a reason,” Julia said. “Since I was given a chance to walk, I wanted to be able to help others who are in a situation similar to mine.”
Respiratory Therapy is a demanding program, so she asked her professors at Mt. SAC about her chances. They told her to give it a shot and see how far she could go.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t be here where I am today if it weren’t for those instructors pushing us to accomplish something amazing,” she said.
Her plans after graduation are quite clear. In late June, she will take the board examinations to become a license respiratory therapist. After that, she wants to get on staff at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, where she spent a good deal of her childhood, so she can begin to pay it forward.
Yet even today after surgeries, constant physical therapy, and all she’s accomplished, Julia faces unique challenges and limited movement. But she found the strength within herself to work around her limitations and overcome her obstacles.
“You can go far if you keep your head up. If someone tells you that you can’t do something, don’t let them get at you. It’s only you who can stop you,” she said.
