Illinois Reunion Story

The two formed a relationship over the next seven-plus years, one that extended to the six children Colleen had after putting Julie up for adoption. It grew strong.

“We didn’t have a mother/daughter relationship — she didn’t raise me,” Julie, 41, said. “We had a friendship. She was close to my kids (Charlie, Louie, Ryan and Jimmy). We were close.”

The family occasionally visited Colleen at her home in Paxton, located in central Illinois.

They last visited Jan. 1. Colleen had been diagnosed with breast cancer in October and was on the road to recovery — or so it appeared.

“She looked great,” John said.

Six days after their visit, on Jan. 7, Colleen died after developing an infection from the surgery that was done to combat the cancer.

“I kept thinking to myself, ‘Seven-and-a-half years, I got gypped,’ ” Julie said. “But I’m lucky to have had what I had with her. She at least got to see that I was doing OK and that I have a good life. I was able to tell her ‘Thanks for what you did.’ ”

What Colleen did was give Julie an opportunity to live a life Colleen couldn’t provide, but the Carrolls could.

“Colleen was so grateful for what my mom and dad did for me,” Julie said. “They all got to meet each other. Colleen knew she couldn’t give me what my parents did.”

Julie is touched by Richards’ gesture to donate the proceeds from Friday’s game in Colleen’s name.”

[Richards’ boys basketball team selected American Cancer Society as the cause for this year’s team donation]