Julian's Battle Against Cancer
My name is Georgia (I go by my middle name Ayla though) and I have started up this gofundme campaign to get much needed support for my fiance, son and I. My fiance, Julian, was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma back in 2015 and recently relapsed in September 2018. He has chronic pain ongoing from the tumour pressing on nerves and the cancer has now spread to his spine. He has been unable to work, and since this relapse, I have quit my job to care for him and our 4 year old son, Finn. Our only source of income is Julian's disability support pension and a small amount I receive for Finn (family tax benefit).
All donations we receive will be collected by myself and distributed between our most crucial bills, rent, travel to and from hospital and anything Julian needs to get through his long hospital stays as well as keeping food on the table and basic needs met for the three of us. Julian and I are also consulting with a financial advisor to ensure funds are spent wisely and to organize hardship payments for bills to stretch out the funds we have. Thank you everyone for all your support.
Julian's diagnosis: Recurrence of Ewings Sarcoma (a bone and soft tissue cancer) located in the pelvis (specifically the sacrum). Tumour growth has now caused a fracture in the sacrum, and pain management is extremely difficult and is being monitored daily from home. Ewings is a rare and resilient type of cancer, that has recurred after an intense treatment. This means Julian's prognosis is quite morbid. If this next regime of chemotherapy and radiotherapy fails, then surgery to remove as much of the tumour and affected cells as possible will be the last resort. This means there will be 100% removal of the sacrum, vital nerves that control bowel and leg function, it will result with Julian having use a wheelchair as he won't be able to walk. With surgery there is also a good chance that they won't be able to get all the cancerous cells. Chances of recurrence are high.
Urgent funds needed: My name is Ayla, I am Julian's fiance and I am currently caring for him and our 4 year old son, Finn, 24/7, and have left work in order to do so. We are hanging on to every moment we have together as a family, and are preparing for the worst since we were told Julian's chances for recovery and quality of life are very slim. There is a potential treatment that can only be done in Japan. We've been through so much already, and are struggling to pay our rent and basic necessities. If you can donate any amount small or large, it would be greatly appreciated.
*Whether or not you can donate, please share our story so others may help or at least spread Ewing's Sarcoma awareness*
Current situation: Julian is at home on bed rest until the 9th of January 2019 where he will be re-assessed. The oncology team is leaning towards a very harsh chemotherapy treatment called Ifosfamide (30-40% success rate) as the next step for Jules, followed by radiotherapy. Before they begin another chemotherapy treatment, the Peter Mac pain and palliative care team will be organizing a surgical procedure to implant an intrathecal pump. This device will deliver pain medication directly to the site and reduce the amount of oral medication Jules will have to take to regulate pain. Ifosfamide will be very harsh at the doses he will be getting, he will be admitted to hospital for 6 days to receive treatment, and he will go through a lot of pain, nausea, vomiting, extreme mouth ulcers/dry mouth as well as battling PTSD he developed during his first chemotherapy treatment.
Julian's story: in 2015, 6 months after our son, Finn was born, Jules was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma located in his pelvis at the age of 23. He had been experiencing pain for 18 months prior to this, and after a second opinion he finally had a proper diagnosis after extensive scans from a new doctor. Within days of being diagnosed, Julian was set up with an oncologist with sarcoma specialists advising of a treatment plan at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia. He did 14 cycles of a trial chemotherapy regime called VIDE (Vincristine, Ifosfamide, Doxorubicin, Etoposide), and then completed radiotherapy treatment each day for 6 weeks. He was then declared NED (No Evidence of Disease), meaning the tumour had shrunk and cancerous cell activity was at 0.
25th August, 2018: Jules had been experiencing a pain increase in the usual area where he still had chronic pain from damage that the previous tumour had caused. After speaking with his doctor about increasing his pain medication doses, he organized additional scans at Peter Mac to see if this was once again cancer activity causing pain.
29th August 2018: Jules was diagnosed with a recurrence of Ewings Sarcoma in the same location but covering a larger area towards his lower spine. From this point, Julian went in as an outpatient to do a chemo regime called IT (Irinotecan and Temozolomide), which was mild compared to his previous chemo. After the first cycle it seemed to be working, he was feeling better, new pain medication managed his pain each day and night, and we had so much hope for a successful treatment. Unfortunately this did not continue. We found out that not only the cancer cell activity had increased by 50%, but the tumour itself was still growing.
14th November 2018: After just 2 and a half cycles of chemo, Julian's pain spiked in his lower back suddenly one night. He went in to see his oncologist who organized an x-ray and PET scan to see what was going on. They found that the tumour had fractured his sacrum (large bone in the pelvis), which was causing an increase in pain. The stopped chemo mid cycle to get his pain under control.
Over the following two days from these scans, his pain increased dramatically to the point where we had to call an ambulance to take him to the local hospital. He was admitted through Emergency Department at Mercy Hospital in Werribee. They were unable to control his pain, after attempted a Ketamine infusion along with various opiates which were administered inconsistently. This resulted in Julian being moved to their ICU department, until they could organize to transport him to Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Once at Peter Mac, they tried various pain relief medications and an epidural to reduce pain while they came up with a longer term plan. The epidural caused a spinal infection which Julian is now on antibiotics for. After 3 weeks of a constant pain crisis, Julian is home, on 15 various medications with limited mobility due to pain, awaiting his next appointment with the oncology team.
Moving forward: Our little family has a long road ahead, and we need all the financial support we can get. The majority of our family on both sides live in New Zealand, and only a few have been able to come over to help us both through Julian's recent hospitalization. Regardless, everyone has been extremely encouraging and supportive no matter the distance, and it is appreciated more than they know.
So from here, we will discuss the finer details on the 9th of January 2019. On this day, Jules will be reassessed and get a start date for his next chemotherapy treatment and later discuss a local radiation treatment to follow. I will be posting updates so please share and check in periodically.
Thank you everyone who has already helped and continues to support us through this difficult time. 
