I remember the day my daughter Mila turned six. She sat in a circle with her friends and sang, and her laughter lit up the room. A month later, she saw the world through her eyes for the very last time and was diagnosed with a rare and fatal disease. Life as I knew it ended. As I fought for her, I met a mother who had lost her 7-year-old son in an accident. I asked how she made it through life, and she replied, “I talk about him”. So I began talking and writing about Mila while she was still with me. I let the world into the turmoil of my thoughts, the closet of my hopes and fears.

This is my life. This is my today.

Julia is the mother of Mila & Azlan and the Editor of This is Today. In 2016, when her daughter was diagnosed with Batten Disease, an ultra rare and fatal genetic condition, Julia formed Mila’s Miracle Foundation to find and fund paths to a cure for devastating neurological conditions in children. In an unprecedented race against time to save her daughter, Julia’s work together with Dr. Tim Yu and his team led to the first ever drug tailored to just one person - affectionately named Milasen. Driven by a sense of hope and responsibility, Julia is on a mission to open up a new treatment path of individualized medicines in the devastating world of rare disease in children.

Ulli is an Emmy Award winning Cinematographer and Stock Film Producer with over 30 years experience in the film industry. He is known for adapting his skills in composition, lighting and camera movement to the mood of the scene, translating his intuitive understanding of the subjects’ physical and emotional state into visual language.

Working all over the world has given Ulli a deep appreciation for diverse cultures. Born and raised in Germany, Ulli’s passion for imagery began at age 11 with the family still camera. By his late teens he was a proficient and published still photographer. After attending college and several years practicing law and later international banking, he moved to New York. In 1989, Ulli was introduced to and mentored in documentary filmmaking. Rediscovering his love for creating images, he became a cinematographer and now lives in Los Angeles where he is presently working with director Brian Weidling on a film about the staging of the musical “The Braille Legacy”, performed by the ‘Theatre By The Blind’, the only theatre group of its kind in the US.

Ulli’s current work led him to join the Mila to Millions impact campaign, where he now spends his free time traveling across the United States, following families affected by rare disease and capturing powerful imagery that depicts a day in their lives as a way to shed light on their stories.

Jewel is a professional photographer and somatic coach. Sometimes with the camera and sometimes without, she helps guide people into their bodies to experience the full joy and pain of life. Having known Julia for many years, she has photographed her journey with her children since Mila's diagnosis, and is honored to be witness to the vulnerability of true love. Her Boulder-based business, Essence Sessions, is founded on her belief in photography as a powerful tool to help us understand our personal and collective experience.

Sasha is a photographer based in NYC. Her eye for visual storytelling comes from years as a photo editor and director at magazines like Vanity Fair and Town & Country where she assigned and produced photo shoots of actors, writers, politicians, and artists. Sasha and Julia met while studying in Italy and have been friends for over 20 years. Sasha has been moved by the strength and grace shown over Mila’s journey and is honored to help share this story with the world.

Sophie is Julia’s sister-in-law. She is a creator and collaborator. She sets the brand vision of the clothing boutique Tuckernuck as their Creative Director, while at the same time pitching in as photographer, graphic designer, illustrator, seamstress, and copywriter. Sophie has witnessed Julia's journey behind closed doors, and is compelled to help creatively share it with the world.