During her early thirties, Julia suffered a stroke that paralyzed her. She could not speak, use her hands or shake her head. Fully cognizant, for seven years she endured the agony of being written off. Her condition is now known as "locked-in syndrome." Using an alphabet board, Julia dictated a memoir of her imprisonment: Look Up for Yes.

She allowed these photographs to be taken so that others might know that despite what she endured, she was able to achieve intimacy.