Help our friend Julie Taylor beat cancer!
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Help our friend Julie Taylor beat cancer!
Our wonderful and gentle friend Julie Taylor has Stage 4 Metastatic breast cancer. Yes, you read that right. The ‘Jules’ who grows her own wheatgrass and lugs gallons of water home from the local spring, who knows the difference between intestinal flora and, uhm, the other flora. The Jules who’s quiet but strong, generous and kind, a little bit shy and yet totally, unwittingly cool.
Perhaps not all of you were aware, but earlier this year, after finding a lump in her right breast, Julie underwent a mastectomy and began treatment for what was described as 'relatively straightforward, low-threat Stage 2 cancer’, which was confined to a single place.
Over the past four months and after radiation treatment, the cancer has spread into the bones of her chest, legs, ribs, pelvis and back. It's serious. And the diagnosis from the oncologist is severe. Jules and Mike have been told that they could be saying goodbye in five months or that Jules might be fine and live another 20 years. It all depends how she responds to treatment.
The synopsis Julie has been offered at this stage from some in the conventional oncology world has been pretty harsh: go home, dose up on morphine, and keep your fingers crossed.
Well, screw that. She’s not going anywhere yet!
Mike and Julie have found an integrative oncologist called Dr James La Porta who is confident he can help. He specialises in terminal and late-stage cancers and has an encouraging success rate. (Those interested in his work can find out more about him here .
Integrative oncology is different to conventional oncology. There are clearly many complex facets to this practice, which relies on evidence-based medicine (read: tried and tested methods) and embraces a patient-centric approach. In a nutshell, integrative treatment involves the use of various systemic methods, such as the mega dosing of multiple cocktails of vitamins and nutrients to help the body get strong enough to fight the abnormal growth of cancerous cells. Coupled with this, integrative oncology administers multiple chemo drugs at lower doses, over longer periods, to ensure the replication of cancer cells is diminished. This holistic approach includes the use of a Hyperthermia machine that warms up the core body temperature in targeted areas to 42°C, which makes the cancer more susceptible to the drugs.
It’s a long process (the initial treatment plan would span a period of six months), not to mention costly. Mike and Julie currently have a hospital plan with gap cover, but it won't cover this form of treatment. Why? Well, Jules doesn't fit into the 'normal' category for cancer, and though there is strong evidence that these techniques have worked in the US and Germany, the methods Dr La Porta uses are not yet considered mainstream enough to be ratified locally.
The bills are coming in thick and fast. To date, Mike and Julie have already spent more than ZAR60 000, and they are tapped out. They need our help.
A full course of integrative treatment costs around ZAR550 000. As you all know, Mike and Jules are all about giving, and they would seldom ask to receive.
But in times of need, there is some comfort in being able to turn to people we love and trust for help. That time, for Julie, for Ollie, and for Mike, is now. If you are in a position to do so, please help with a financial contribution to allow Jules and her family to fight this battle with every hope of success.
Please know that our heartfelt gratitude and thanks for your support is woven into every line of this message.
Our wonderful and gentle friend Julie Taylor has Stage 4 Metastatic breast cancer. Yes, you read that right. The ‘Jules’ who grows her own wheatgrass and lugs gallons of water home from the local spring, who knows the difference between intestinal flora and, uhm, the other flora. The Jules who’s quiet but strong, generous and kind, a little bit shy and yet totally, unwittingly cool.
Perhaps not all of you were aware, but earlier this year, after finding a lump in her right breast, Julie underwent a mastectomy and began treatment for what was described as 'relatively straightforward, low-threat Stage 2 cancer’, which was confined to a single place.
Over the past four months and after radiation treatment, the cancer has spread into the bones of her chest, legs, ribs, pelvis and back. It's serious. And the diagnosis from the oncologist is severe. Jules and Mike have been told that they could be saying goodbye in five months or that Jules might be fine and live another 20 years. It all depends how she responds to treatment.
The synopsis Julie has been offered at this stage from some in the conventional oncology world has been pretty harsh: go home, dose up on morphine, and keep your fingers crossed.
Well, screw that. She’s not going anywhere yet!
Mike and Julie have found an integrative oncologist called Dr James La Porta who is confident he can help. He specialises in terminal and late-stage cancers and has an encouraging success rate. (Those interested in his work can find out more about him here .
Integrative oncology is different to conventional oncology. There are clearly many complex facets to this practice, which relies on evidence-based medicine (read: tried and tested methods) and embraces a patient-centric approach. In a nutshell, integrative treatment involves the use of various systemic methods, such as the mega dosing of multiple cocktails of vitamins and nutrients to help the body get strong enough to fight the abnormal growth of cancerous cells. Coupled with this, integrative oncology administers multiple chemo drugs at lower doses, over longer periods, to ensure the replication of cancer cells is diminished. This holistic approach includes the use of a Hyperthermia machine that warms up the core body temperature in targeted areas to 42°C, which makes the cancer more susceptible to the drugs.
It’s a long process (the initial treatment plan would span a period of six months), not to mention costly. Mike and Julie currently have a hospital plan with gap cover, but it won't cover this form of treatment. Why? Well, Jules doesn't fit into the 'normal' category for cancer, and though there is strong evidence that these techniques have worked in the US and Germany, the methods Dr La Porta uses are not yet considered mainstream enough to be ratified locally.
The bills are coming in thick and fast. To date, Mike and Julie have already spent more than ZAR60 000, and they are tapped out. They need our help.
A full course of integrative treatment costs around ZAR550 000. As you all know, Mike and Jules are all about giving, and they would seldom ask to receive.
But in times of need, there is some comfort in being able to turn to people we love and trust for help. That time, for Julie, for Ollie, and for Mike, is now. If you are in a position to do so, please help with a financial contribution to allow Jules and her family to fight this battle with every hope of success.
Please know that our heartfelt gratitude and thanks for your support is woven into every line of this message.
Organizer and beneficiary
Annemieke Goldswain-Hein
Organizer
England
Wendy Coetzer
Beneficiary