A Way to Help Julien & His Family Focus on Hope

Hello Everyone. My name is Gina O’Connor (Herrera) and I set up this page on behalf of my nephew, Julien Herrera, his parents (Tony and Renee) and his younger brother Gabe.

On May 12, 2023, just a few weeks after his 21st birthday, Julien suffered a stroke caused by a brain tumor and underwent life saving emergency brain surgery to remove it. Julien is a strong young man and pulled through. But not unscathed. The stroke caused paralysis, leaving him unable to walk or move the left side of his body. He also suffered vision loss which has still not been regained. He spent several weeks in the hospital trying to recover and rehabilitate. While he did eventually get to come home and through hard work regained some mobility, unfortunately that was not the end of his battle. He was diagnosed with a highly aggressive and malignant type of brain tumor - grade IV glioblastoma.

Since his stroke and initial surgery, new tumors continue to pop up which has required a second brain surgery, two rounds of radiation, immunotherapy (a cancer treatment that utilizes the body's own immune system to fight cancer cells), occupational therapy, physical therapy, as well as countless doctor’s appointments and hospital stays. He was recently fortunate enough to be accepted into a clinical trial for a new treatment (called CAR-T cell therapy) at City of Hope Cancer Treatment Center in Southern California. While this was an amazing opportunity, it came with additional challenges for the family. On top of the emotional strain, there came a financial strain as well. While Julien was there, his parents of course wanted to be by his side. In order for that to happen there were back and forth trips from Sacramento to Southern California as well as hotel stays for several weeks at a time while he underwent the treatment. Julien is back home now but still faces the challenges of his illness.

For those of you who know Julien, you know he is an amazing young man. He has faced his situation with strength and a determination to push forward each day no matter how challenging that day might be. And he does it with a sense of humor, even if the humor is sometimes on the dark side :o) Julien is kind, caring and generous, always looking for ways to give to others; he especially enjoys sharing new snacks and drinks he discovers. He loves having his extended family and friends around to keep his spirits up and share some laughs. So many of you have been here doing just that and we sincerely thank you for those encouraging visits.

Cancer takes a toll not just on the body of its victim and the emotions of those who love that person, but also requires lots of time, energy and money to fight. Expenses start to add up for things like medications, co-pays, medical devices, and the travel expenses to and from hospitals/medical facilities (his medical care team is out of UCSF) - hotels, gas, rental cars, parking, food, etc. Of course, all of this perversely comes at a time of lost income. Renee stopped working to focus on caring for Julien full-time. Tony has to take time off work with intermittent losses of income. When Julien needs his parents the most, they should be able to support him without the distraction of worrying about how to pay for it all. And after over two years of shouldering this on their own as well as the ongoing needs, I am now asking for your help in lightening their load.

Some of you may be lucky enough to know Julien, others know Tony, Renee and/or Gabe. If you're like me, you’re feeling powerless, but desperate to help. There are many ways that we can help them through this most difficult of times, and many of you have been doing just that. But the time has come to ask for help in easing the mounting financial strain that continues to afflict this family.

Julien, Tony, Renee and Gabe all belong to a variety of communities, which have a connection to you, reading this now. If you're willing, we'd love to have your support in helping Julien and his family fight this most unwelcome of battles.

Based on previous and future expenses, we've set a goal of $20,000. If we can reach that goal, amazing. If we can exceed it, then all the better. In the event that more money comes in than is needed for immediate costs, any excess will be saved for future needs, and if much more comes in, the money will be donated to yet-to-be decided charity that helps other families facing similar challenges.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and if you're in a position to help and willing to do so, please know you have my heartfelt thanks, and the thanks of all of Julien's family and friends.