‘To celebrate Julian’s fire’

Clutching a stuffed dog, 5-year-old Newport Beach resident Julian Dunn sat in the audience for part of a concert at Newport Mesa Church on Saturday as a parade of grade-school pianists, singers and guitar players took the stage to raise money to pay his medical bills.

“We’re here today to celebrate Julian’s fire,” Julian’s father, Richard Dunn said, pausing for a second as he choked back the tears. “He’s the sweetest human being on the face of the earth.”

Organized by Julian’s family and friends, the Jammin’ for Julian event featured musical performances from children ranging from pre-school age to teenagers.

Doctors found a golf-ball sized tumor in Julian’s brain a few weeks before Christmas. After three surgeries and a seven-week hospital stay, doctors have given Julian about an 85% chance of survival.

The pre-schooler is slated to begin a rigorous round of chemotherapy next week, which could affect his hearing and kidney function.

Doctors diagnosed Julian with a brain tumor just before Christmas last year.

“The first few weeks after you find out, you’re just trying to get back up after being knocked down,” Julian’s mother, Andrea Dunn said, addressing the crowd of volunteers and donors gathered in the sanctuary of Newport Mesa Church on Saturday.

“You’ve helped us to get back on our feet again,” she said.

The Dunn family hopes Jammin’ for Julian will grow into an annual event to benefit other families with sick children.

“We’re not just going to help ourselves; we’re going to help others as well,” Andrea Dunn said.

Former All-Pro center for the Los Angeles Rams and four-time cancer survivor Rich Saul also spoke at the concert.

“When you’re going through cancer, what you are doing means a lot [for the Dunn Family],” he said.

From a 7-year-old who sang “God Bless America,” to pre-teen garage bands, kids from across Southern California performed at the event to help raise money for Julian.

St. John the Baptist Catholic School seventh-grader Hailey Detterich performed with the school’s Clover Choir the song “Dreams that Children’s Dream” at the Jammin’ for Julian concert.

Hailey and her fellow choir members “worked their rear ends off” for the past week preparing for the concert, she said.

“It makes me feel so glad that I can do something for someone who needs help more than I do,” Hailey said.

Samantha Smith, a junior at Orange Coast Middle College High School, sang two songs she wrote and also directed a choir from Newport Elementary School at the concert.

“It really made me feel like I was doing something good for somebody else,” Smith said.

HOW TO HELP

For more information on how to help the Dunn family, visit www.jamminforjulian.org, call (949) 433-0639 or e-mail dunnwriter@yahoo.com.

Reporter BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.