In a moment of sadness and pain, Julie Kramer found a reason to dance.
Those dance moves became an inspiration not only to her family and friends but to people around the world.
Kramer, a 2009 Seneca High School graduate, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Synovial Sarcoma, a rare form of soft tissue cancer, earlier this year. The diagnosis came as a shock as she had completed the Phillies Charities 5K just days prior.
“I didn’t feel anything after the race, but two nights later as I was getting ready for bed, my chest was hurting really bad when I tried to breath. I couldn’t lay down on my back and at first I’m thinking I know I’m not really a runner so did I push myself too hard, but it was really bad so my mom took me to Virtua in Voorhees,” Kramer said.
After taking a chest x-ray, doctors found a 15–20 centimeter mass in Kramer’s chest. Her initial reaction was one of calm, thinking it was something that could be taken care of quickly, but after more tests and a biopsy, doctors told Kramer she had cancer.
“Once they dropped the ‘C’ word I knew how serious it was and that it would be a struggle obviously,” Kramer said.
Treatments at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania began immediately. Kramer was forced to stop taking classes at Burlington County College where she was studying to be a dental hygienist and quit her part-time position as a nanny.
After an eight to nine hour surgery to remove the mass, Kramer was laying in her hospital bed longing to be anywhere else. She asked her nurse if she could take a walk around the hospital floor.
“I was thinking I don’t want to be in this hospital anymore. It was a Saturday night, my friends were out and I wanted to be out too, so when I got up to walk, I just started to dance. I was feeling something inside me and I thought I’m going to make this fun,” Kramer said. “I just wanted to show people that, yeah cancer sucks, but you can still be yourself and you can make it better by being positive and still having fun.”
Kramer’s determination and positive spirit became an inspiration to her friends as a few began submitting her story to The Ellen DeGeneres Show. A movement on social media using the hashtag #JulieMeetsEllen began as family and friends took to Twitter and Instagram to tell her story. Soon, the word had spread as even Phillies centerfielder Ben Revere shared Kramer’s story on Instagram.
The show reached out to Kramer inviting her and her mom to California to be in the audience for a taping of the show on Thursday, Dec. 11 that would air on Monday, Dec. 15. Halfway through the taping, DeGeneres started telling Kramer’s story and invited her on stage.
“I had no idea that was going to happen,” Kramer said.
DeGeneres then presented Kramer with a $10,000 check to help aid her treatment expenses. After presenting the 23-year-old with the donation, DeGeneres brought up the Philadelphia Phillies, a topic near Kramer’s heart.
“I am a huge Philadelphia Phillies fan,” Kramer said.
When DeGeneres asked her favorite player, Kramer didn’t hesitate for a moment
“Chase Utley. He’s the man,” Kramer said.
Cue the man himself, Chase Utley, on stage carrying a basket of Phillies gear for Kramer and an invitation for her to attend as many games as she would like this season as Utley’s guest.
Kramer’s story and appearance on the show took the internet by storm as local Philadelphia websites to ESPN and USA Today shared video of her time with DeGeneres and Utley.
“The last few days have been unreal,” Kramer said. “So many people have been sharing their experiences with me and telling me their stories, it’s been amazing. People from all over, Sweden, England, Chile, have told me they were inspired by it, which is just so cool. That’s what I wanted to happen. I wanted to be able to help others.”
Kramer’s last treatment will be on Jan. 20 and in the tests that follow, Kramer hopes to be on “the road to remission.”
