ELMHURST – Melinda D'Agostino Adams and her cousin Vince D'Agostino set out on a mission. Gathering their family members and closest friends, they tied nearly every tree and streetlight in sight on South Street with bubble-gum pink ribbons.

That was just the beginning. They continued to tie those ribbons along St. Charles Road, South York Street near Visitation Catholic School, Cottage Hill Avenue near IC Catholic Prep and the Prairie Path.

Adams said the reason behind the ribbons was simple – to honor their late cousin Julie D'Agostino.

"When you think of Julie, you think pink. We just wanted to paint Elmhurst pink," Adams said, noting that was Julie's favorite color.

She said the ribbons served as a reminder of Julie's beauty, her vibrancy, her love and her presence.

Julie, 22, died Aug. 7, yet her spirit lives on through the memories of her family and friends in the Elmhurst community.

Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at birth, Julie learned early on to embrace life with open arms, an open mind and an open heart.

Mary, Julie's mother, explained cystic fibrosis is a disease that causes thick mucus to build up in a person's organs, which may lead to infections, lung damage and ultimately, respiratory failure. In her daughter's case, her lungs were mostly affected by the disease, and her condition became more serious over time, she said.

"It impacted her social life and her school life," Mary added.

She explained because of her daughter's illness, Julie missed numerous days of school at a time and was unable to participate in certain activities, but that did not stop her from trying.

Mary and Mario, Julie's father, noted their daughter tried out for the volleyball team atIC Catholic Prep, and when her condition impeded her from playing, she became the manager of the team.

"She always tried to make do with what she had," Mary said. "Some people, myself included, would have crawled up in a fetal position and said, 'I'm done with this.'"

The two explained nothing – not even Julie's health – could ever truly get in the way of her persistence, motivation and determination, especially when it came to her love for the stage.

Julie closed out her senior year at IC Catholic Prep by snagging the coveted role of Tracy Turnblad, the lovable, bubbly teen in "Hairspray." Like Turnblad's character, Julie shared the same charisma, energy and passion to carry out the simple message: live life and have fun.

While Mario noted his daughter's natural ability to command an audience and to perform, Mary recalled her daugher's health, at that time, was failing, and she was placed on the transplant list in hopes of receiving a pair of healthy lungs.

"She put on an amazing performance with limited reserve," Mary said.

As the months after graduation progressed, Julie looked forward to attending Elmhurst College in the fall, but her health continued to pose as an obstacle. Six weeks into the fall semester, Julie received word that she would get a new set of lungs, and the surgery was successful, Mary said.

Julie made her first screen debut in the documentary "Miracle on South Street: The Julie D Story," which was directed by family friend Giancarlo Iannotta. The movie, which is now available for viewing on Hulu, shared her story and centered on her double-lung transplant, as well as the importance of organ donation.

"She did well for about 15 months," Mary said, noting her daughter showed signs of improvement.

However, as 2014began, Julie's body rejected both lungs, she said. Her daughter was eligible for another transplant, but this time, it would only be for one lung.

While Julie, again, showed signs of improvement, other health complications "impacted the lung," Mary said, adding her health began to decline by this July.

"(Doctors) were moving heaven and earth to save that lung, but they just couldn't," she said. "She gave up the battle Friday night."

When news broke of Julie's recent passing, her Facebook profile page was showered with love and support from teachers, friends, classmates and people she had touched over the years. Their heartfelt messages were sealed with the hashtag #BreatheEasyJulieD.

"You think you know what love is, and then you love Julie," Mario said. "She'll always be my little hero."

Julie is survived by her parents, Mario and Mary, and her siblings, Michael, Kevin, Elizabeth, Carly and twin sister Natalie.

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Know more

To learn about Julie and organ donations, visit The Julie D'Agostino Fan Club on Facebook. To watch "Miracle on South Street: The Julie D Story," visit shawurl.com/22bo.