Helping Julie to Fight

Julie is my stepmom. But she is more than that. She's the mom to her two children, Nicole and Brian. She's my dad's wife (finally after 19 years!) And, most importantly to me, she is my children's Gramma, or as they like to call her, Pokegram, because she is a Pokemon Master.

After the stress of the world over the last two and a half years, Julie was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer just a few short months ago. Life is funny in that when things feel like they can't get any worse, they actually do.

Here's what I know. My kids feel safe when she is around, because they know she will fight for them to keep them safe. And in the words of my son Ian, "Gramma can beat up anybody, she can beat up cancer too." We all have the faith that she will beat this and be even stronger.

But there are the realities of life. Bills don't just stop because you have cancer. Loss of income doesn't care that you now also have copays and frequent trips to the hospital. Stress doesn't care that you are so worried about these things that insomnia wins. And your body still needs to heal despite the lack of sleep, stress, and nausea that plagues you.

Her journey is just beginning. There are still so many unkowns and scary possibilties. We know we are still looking at a few more rounds of chemo, then a surgery, recovery, and still probably more chemo after that. So, a minimum of 6-9 months without working and feeling that loss. And in the middle of that, their landlord has decided to sell the house they have lived in for the last 9 years, and they will have to move by the end of August. I can't be there to help, to try and clean and pack up their home, and it breaks my heart. I can't even imagine trying to manage that reality while also battling cancer.

If you know Julie, you know she doesn't like to ask for help. She is a giver. She likes to see people smile, and especially make people laugh. She pours into others, never hesitates to help if she can, and rarely ever spends a dime on herself. I'm hoping that if you carry a space in your heart for her, that you will help me in hopefully making her smile, and remind her that she is not alone in this.

Most of all I ask that you pray for her, and let her know in the form of a comment on Facebook or a text message, that she is loved and that she matters.