Julian Meier Talks Make-A-Wish Experience

Sixteen-year-old Franklin resident Julian Meier went to Boston in December. On a cold Thursday, he learned that he was awarded a Make-A-Wish Foundation Celebrity Wish to meet his favorite band, Twenty One Pilots. The band was to play in iHeart Radio’s Jingle Ball concert on Sunday. Hurried plans had to be made at home, and arrangements had to be made with his parent’s workplaces. By Saturday, Meier, his parents Jordan and Jessica, and his 5-year-old sister, Mila, were on their way.

While that trip and its planning process was quick, his medical journey has been a drawn-out, arduous process throughout his entire life. Constant trips to the doctor’s office were the norm for Meier during his early childhood. His original diagnosis was idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys platelets.

For 10 more years he was often sick, and he had to be isolated from others. Finally, in 2023, as his health problems continued, a bone marrow test was given, where evidence of blasts, chunks of non-immature blood cells that are produced in the bone marrow, were found. The fear of leukemia loomed. A bone marrow transplant was in his near future.

“It was a rough two months,” Meier says. The pre-surgery chemotherapy was especially hard on Meier. On February 21,2024 he underwent a bone marrow transplant. His donor was from Australia. His post-surgery stay was extended because his labs were not good enough, he was constantly ill, he could not eat, and he had to be fed intravenously. Finally his caretakers decided to start him on a new medicine, and it was a game changer. In three days he was like a new kid, according to Jessica. After 60 days at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, he was able to return home.

One year later, Meier continues to improve. His platelets are normal now, but his goal is to get his red and white blood cell count up before he can feel safe in public. Meier does online classes from his home. To stay busy, he plays video and strategy games, plays the ukulele, and is teaching himself two languages. Because of medication side effects, he must be careful in the sunlight, so being outdoors is not an option on warm, sunny days.

To keep himself motivated and not get down, Meier has relied on his faith in God. He cites his favorite scripture from the Bible as Romans 5:3-4. “This verse is at the core of who I am,” he says. “I have suffered much in my short life, but each storm I have weathered. This happened to me for a reason, and I have come out of it a stronger person. I do not yet know why God has built this perseverance, character and hope in me, but I reckon one day it will be made clear.”

As a fan of the band Twenty One Pilots, Meier was thrilled to get the opportunity to see his favorite band. The lyrics to several of their songs helped Meier push through some of his hardest times in the hospital. He said the lyrics “We’ve made it this far, kid” from the song “Migraine,” as well as the line “Overtake your former self” from the song “Not Today” are two examples of how music can be healing.

The band members expressed how touched they were to hear what their lyrics meant to Meier. Normally a Celebrity Wish includes either meeting a band or attending a concert; Meier was able to do both. The Meiers felt spoiled on the trip. They were treated to wonderful dinners out, and were able to visit some of Boston’s historical sites and neighborhoods, as well as the concert. “It feels wonderful to get this opportunity to receive a wish,” Meier says. “It has given me so much joy and gave me motivation to keep going – a reward, if you will. I am so grateful for this.”

On February 21, 2025, Meier got to “ring the bell” at Riley. He will have reached a one-year milestone after his bone marrow transplant. His next hope is to get those blood cell counts where they need to be, so he can resume a normal life. His family has hopes that in the future they can give back to Riley Hospital by creating a scholarship for families with children in the stem cell ward. They plan to continue to host fundraisers with the plan of establishing that scholarship someday in honor of Meier.