Julie Renner

Sophia was a long-awaited baby girl in the Renner family. She would be an offset to her two older brothers, which brought a new excitement to their home. Despite their efforts to live in the moment, Jon and Julie Renner dreamed of what Sophia’s future might look like upon welcoming her into the world in February of 2022. However, by 6 months of age, Julie became concerned that Sophia was not meeting milestones like her brothers had. Reassured by many providers that Sophia would “catch up,” a serendipitous meeting with another family in their small Ohio community changed everything.

While at a soccer game for their oldest son, Jon and Julie met another family who had a young child living with Angelman syndrome. After a quick internet search about AS, it was apparent to Jon and Julie that Sophia too had AS. Following several specialist appointments and genetic testing, Sophia was officially diagnosed with AS (deletion) at 11 months. Devastated by the thought that they could not provide a better future for their daughter than what they had, they searched for anything that could mend their broken hearts. That is when they found FAST. FAST provided hope for a better future for Sophia, in addition to an understanding community of families that were pushing the research for therapeutics forward, ensuring accountability along the way.

Julie continues to be amazed at her daughter’s strength to overcome the obstacles placed in her way. To match her daughter’s strength, Julie joined her husband and another local AS family to create The Granville Angels Foundation in late 2023. At the same time, Julie also joined the FAC. Volunteering for the community has been a humbling experience for Julie, allowing her the opportunity to meet and work alongside other families within the AS community. Julie firmly believes we are stronger as a collective and can play a vital role in paving a better future for our children.