Fans Hit a Home Run for Juliana Ramos

Her fiancé Chris Medina might have had a crowd cheering for him as he performed in Singapore, but back home in Crestwood, the spotlight was on Juliana Ramos.

Ramos' family took her out to the ball game Saturday, July 30, where  friends, supporters and fans of the Windy City Thunderbolts enjoyed the game—in her honor. The baseball team deemed Saturday 'Juliana Day.'

Ramos' mother Janet Barnes signed and sold copies of her book, For Juliana: Almost to the Almost, One Penny at a Time, and the group spread the Medina Mania by tossing T-shirst bearing the crooner's image. With Juliana alongside her, Medina's mother Gloria threw out the game's first pitch. The Thunderbolts pitched in $1 of every ticket sold that day.

"First and foremost is to raise money for Juliana," the team's General Manager Mike Lucas told Patch before the game.

“[Juliana’s] stepfather and I have a mutual friend that helped me get a hold of the family,” Lucas said. “I told them we would like to raise money for Juliana by dedicating a day to her and to give them their own booth to sell their T-shirts and book.”

The team's effort is —to raise funds to cover some of the costs of Ramos' needs. Ramos suffered a y in a car accident in Oct. 2009.

“This is just another way to support Juli’s recovery," said Don Barnes, Juliana’s stepfather. “I would like to thank everyone for their support that they have given us and continue to give. It’s been overwhelming.”