FRANKLIN, Ind. — Julian Meier spends most days exhausted.
"Some days are rougher than others," said the 15-year-old Franklin Community High School freshman. "I'm very prone to infections, so I have to be quarantined at my house."
Meier has been in and out of the hospital since he was 6 months old.
"I'm not making enough white blood cells or platelets. Basically, everything you need to fight off an infection or to help you clot your blood," said Meier.
"I can't tell you how many blood tests he's had, how many IVs he's had," said Jessica Meier, Julian's mother. "He's been hospitalized numerous times."
It wasn't until late last year that doctors were finally able to diagnose him.
"The short name for it is MDS, but it's myelodysplastic syndrome," Julian said.
It's a disease similar to leukemia. Julian was the only child in the state diagnosed with MDS in 2023, a disease rarely found in children.
"It's four in one million," Jessica said. "Really, the only cure is a bone marrow transplant."
A frightening thought for mom and dad, but Julian always reminds them of the silver lining.
"He's on this journey for a reason," said Jessica Meier. "He is going to help other people see how he goes through it."
The fight against MDS has kept him away from his favorite afterschool activity — taekwondo.
"At this point, I don't even care about the self-defense part, I just want to be there," Julian said.
"Julian is just one of those bright, smiley, sunshiny kids," said Rose Myers, co-owner of Pilsung ATA Martial Arts in Greenwood.
Julian has been practicing taekwondo with Myers for eight years, working his way up to a second-degree black belt.
"Even through all of this process, he's been so gung ho for that third degree," said Myers.
So Myers reached out to the head of taekwondo in the United States, MK Lee, to ask for a favor.
"I sent him an email and I told him about Julian, and I told him how fiercely Julian has been fighting for his life," said Myers.
A wish that was granted last month. Myers gathered over 20 of her black belt students, including one living in Chicago, outside Meier's home.
"Around the corner from our garage, all the black belts started filing in and that's when I just lost it," said Jessica Meier.
Just outside the front door, Myers showed Julian a pre-recorded video of Lee promoting him to third-degree black belt.
"Some people may never see him until they get high-ranking black belts," said Julian Meier. "For him to personally upgrade me from a second-degree to third-degree was a big deal."
Some of Meier's fellow taekwondo students stepped up to say a few words during the presentation.
"It meant a lot," said black belt Richie Scott. "Especially since I was at the end of the line, so I got to hold everything, which kind of hit harder."
"It's a ceremony I've never even seen," said black belt Will Corn. "I've been to a couple ceremonies, I've never seen one like that. It was extra special just for him."
A couple weeks later, the Meiers got more good news.
"Dec. 30 we get a phone call and it said that our donor was confirmed," said Julian.
He will be admitted to Riley Hospital for Children next week ahead of his bone marrow transplant later this month.
"There's always been scary moments, but I always try to think on the upside and that this is going to work," said Julian Meier.
Equipped with an attitude that's unmatched, preparing for the biggest fight of his life.
"Out of everyone who's taken the news hard, he's done the best with it and he's the one going through it," said Julian's father, Jordan.
The family is trying to raise funds to cover the costs of the transplant. If you would like to help, you can do so here.