A 4-year-old Ripon girl, Julissia Guzman, is the second youngster in the Ripon community to be diagnosed with brain cancer.

An effort is being made through www.gofundme.com to secure financial support for her family.

Nine-year-old Riley Simmons continues to be the focus of the Ripon community as she and her family went through brain surgery and now are going through radiation and 18 months of chemotherapy.

Thousands of dollars were donated by concerned citizens who also offered endless prayers for the fourth grader at Colony Oak School who is also a seasoned soccer player in Manteca.

Julissia is described as a “sweet and loving” child who was taken at the end of December to Children’s Hospital in Oakland by her parents where she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.

A secondary visit to the Children’s Hospital in Madera confirmed the diagnosis and she was sent home to be with her parents Pascal and Lilianna and her older brother and sister.  Unfortunately most of the extended Guzman family is in Mexico leaving the Ripon girl with very little support.

Julissia’s dad is a dishwasher at an area restaurant and her mother had to quit her job to care for her daughter on a fulltime basis.

To date a number of donations have been left on the Gofundme website totaling $1,550 with a total need of $20,000.  The actual address for donations is www.gofundme.com/PKLEASE-HELP-JULISSIA.

One man who donated $50 on Monday challenged his friends and family to match him or maybe even beat him with their donations.  “A little bit from everyone will go a long way,” he wrote.

Another who donated $500 wrote, “God Bless You precious little angel.”

And another wrote, “I know the Guzmans first hand and know the hardship they are going through at this time.  Our thoughts and prayers go to Julissia and her family.”

The $1,500 was raised from some two dozen people in the course of the month.