Hello, my name is Paige Taylor, and together with my brother, Jesse, I am writing on behalf of our mother, Julianne Taylor. Our mom, at only 52 years old, is now facing the toughest challenge of her life, stage IV, metastatic, ovarian cancer with malignant pleural effusion of the right lung. She needs all the love and support she can get as she bravely fights for her life.

Our mom is an incredible woman who is immensely kind and generous. She has dedicated her life to helping people and has a deep love for animals. Until she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, my mom ran a nonprofit organization dedicated to training and placing service dogs with people with disabilities. Her favorite clients were the children. Since most service dog programs at the time would not place dogs with children, my mom became one of only a handful of programs in North America to offer dogs to kids with Autism and other developmental disabilities. Our mom believes everyone deserves a helping hand. Not to mention her volunteer work in her early 20s with the Lake County Council Against Sexual Assault (LaCasa) where she co-facilitated a child assault prevention program, worked the emergency hotline, and participated in the annual Take Back the Night March and Rally.

We are confident that our mom will prevail because she isn’t afraid of a fight. She never has been, whether it be standing for the people or things she believes in, or fighting for herself. Since she began living with an autoimmune disease, our mom has remained strong and persevered. Even as she faces her greatest challenge to date, she is always smiling, laughing, and enjoying life. She refuses to give up. If not for herself, but for us.

Here’s a glimpse into our journey so far: 

In mid-December, Julianne began experiencing some mild shortness of breath. Over the next 10 days, it became increasingly worse and Julianne decided to go to the Emergency Room thinking she had pneumonia. When she was admitted they found the pleural cavity of her right lung was full of fluid. They admitted her inpatient and inserted a chest tube to drain the fluid. Originally they believed this was from the autoimmune disease, as pleural effusion is very common with Lupus. Over the next 10 days, they drained nearly six liters of fluid from her lung. 

During those 10 days, the doctors ran a series of tests and eventually found a large 16 cm mass in her pelvis. A biopsy of the mass and cytology of the pleural fluid came back malignant, and she was diagnosed with stage IVA, metastatic, ovarian cancer. Needless to say, our family was shocked and devastated. We couldn’t believe someone as strong and resilient as our mom was now facing yet another challenging fight ahead of her. 

Julianne’s treatment so far: 

To manage the pleural effusion, Julianne had an indwelling pleural catheter inserted into her lung so she could drain a liter of fluid each morning. To combat this cancer, she’s undergoing aggressive chemotherapy treatment. Since starting chemotherapy our mom has been hospitalized four more times due to various infections and mild complications. Additionally, she suffered a broken foot. Yet, somehow she keeps smiling and remains optimistic. As it turns out, she’s right to be positive. The chemo has killed cancer in her right lung and she was recently able to have the catheter removed. Also, the tumor has shrunk 3cm. So the treatment is working. The next step is to have a major debulking surgery to remove all visible cancer. After the surgery, Julianne will have another couple of rounds of chemo. Once chemo is complete, Julianne will continue to have infusions of a maintenance medication every three weeks for the next year.

While the treatment is working, this has taken a toll on her body and she’s been unable to work. As such, the financial burden of this situation is quickly becoming overwhelming. The mounting expenses are not things commonly associated with fighting cancer; but other expenses that people don't normally consider. For instance, out-of-pocket costs for medical equipment such as grab bars and a bedside commode; over-the-counter medications, certain treatments, and the in-home assistance she will need after her surgery. It is all adding up quickly, and this is all in addition to her daily living expenses.

To help our mom get through this difficult time, we've created a GoFundMe campaign, and we're asking for your support. We hope you will consider donating. No amount is too small, and every contribution is deeply appreciated. We’ve set the goal of $15,000, but we can’t predict what unforeseen expenses may arise in the future, so we’re grateful for every penny. I know that together, we can make a difference in her life, and give her the support she needs during this challenging time. 

Finally, we want you to see the difference you're all making in our mom's life. So, we'll be posting regular updates and photos to show you the impact of your generosity. Together, we can help my mom succeed, regain her strength, and continue her lifelong passion for helping others. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your kindness and generosity.

UPDATE: Our mom has completed her fifth round of chemo and had no hospitalizations this last round. The next step is a CT scan to see how much the tumor has shrunk and to begin planning for her debulking surgery. This is a major surgery that may take 12 hours. Her oncologist will remove all visible cancer, do a radical hysterectomy, remove her omentum and possibly part of her large intestine. Her recovery time will be around six weeks and she will need in-home help.

We are incredibly grateful for the donations received to date. They were used to catch up on some bills and for the purchase of things she needed like a shower chair, hand- held shower, vitamins and OTC meds her oncologist recommended, and get some help with cleaning and laundry. From the bottom of our hearts we thank you!!!