Julie’s Fight Against Leukemia (AML)
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As you may know by now, Julie has been battling Leukemia for the past 6 months. It all started early October, The symptoms were not anything crazy or out of the ordinary but she had a gut feeling something just wasn’t right, especially after weeks they didn’t seem to let up. Some days she could barely get herself out of bed, she would sleep for over 12 hours and wake up feeling like she hadn’t slept at all. Her Symptoms included extreme exhaustion, constant nausea, stomach pain and just constantly feeling “not right”. Julie, being a Nurse herself and looking at the bigger picture, none of this made sense, she needed answers. She analyzed her labs and knew something wasn’t right. Her platelets were very low, low enough to know she should be hospitalized and needed a blood transfusion. After her 2nd ER visit, she was once again sent home (Thanksgiving morning) and the doctor wanted to follow up with her on Monday, still being told it was most likely her body recovering from a stomach bug but they would run a few more tests at her follow up.
Friday, November 23rd, Julie got a phone call that turned her world upside down. The Doctor she had seen on the day before, called her and that’s when she spelled it out. She told Julie she was confident she had Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and she needed to go back to the hospital immediately. The doctor had already arranged for a team to be ready for her to do a bone marrow biopsy and she started intense Induction Chemotherapy the next day. She was at the hospital for over a month. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of the hospital stays.
The last 6 months have been the longest 6 months of her life. During all these changes, it’s no surprise that she has been Strong, Fearless and Positive through it all. She has faced this cancer head on and has no intention of stepping down. But, that doesn’t go to say that she has had to deal with things that no one would be prepared for. The ugly truth of cancer, she has endured countless hospital stays totaling 54 days. Living inside a room no bigger than the average bedroom. She has endured many obstacles that are just the ugly effects of Cancer. She has dealt with Hair loss, mouth sores, Bleeding gums, rashes, high fevers, loss of vision for several days, burning of her eyes, stomach ulcers, Gastro issues, not to mention the overall harmful effects chemo does to the body. She has been nothing but graceful though accepting these changes, but it doesn’t mean any of this has been easy to digest. She spends most of her days at the clinic getting blood draws, transfusions, biopsy’s, test after test always having the fear that the cancer will come back.
Earlier this Month, Julie got the news that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. She has a Stem Cell Donor! The doctors seem confident this can lead to her cure. Although her battle isn’t quite over, and she still has a long journey ahead of her. May 1st is the start of a new beginning. She will be getting intense chemotherapy to prepare her body for the new stem cells. Her transplant date is scheduled for May 9th. This will also require a month hospital stay, her total recovery period will be 12 months. During the first 100 days of her recovery, Julie will not be able to drive, cook, or clean. This time is critical to her recovery. She has a higher risk of complications, setbacks and she will require full time care at home.
This is where you can help, Julie is expected to continue to be out of work for the next 6 -12 months. Although she is a nurse, when she does go back to work she will not be able to provide patient care for 1 year after her transplant, Due to her having the immune system of a newborn and will have to go through the whole vaccination process again. Her new full time job will be focusing solely on her recovery. Unfortunately, it does not come with pay. In The meantime Julie and Mike could use some assistance to offset the stack of Medical bills, Monthly expenses and Housing expenses so Julie can truly focus on what’s most important, her recovery!
Thank you endlessly for anything you can do to help!
Friday, November 23rd, Julie got a phone call that turned her world upside down. The Doctor she had seen on the day before, called her and that’s when she spelled it out. She told Julie she was confident she had Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and she needed to go back to the hospital immediately. The doctor had already arranged for a team to be ready for her to do a bone marrow biopsy and she started intense Induction Chemotherapy the next day. She was at the hospital for over a month. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of the hospital stays.
The last 6 months have been the longest 6 months of her life. During all these changes, it’s no surprise that she has been Strong, Fearless and Positive through it all. She has faced this cancer head on and has no intention of stepping down. But, that doesn’t go to say that she has had to deal with things that no one would be prepared for. The ugly truth of cancer, she has endured countless hospital stays totaling 54 days. Living inside a room no bigger than the average bedroom. She has endured many obstacles that are just the ugly effects of Cancer. She has dealt with Hair loss, mouth sores, Bleeding gums, rashes, high fevers, loss of vision for several days, burning of her eyes, stomach ulcers, Gastro issues, not to mention the overall harmful effects chemo does to the body. She has been nothing but graceful though accepting these changes, but it doesn’t mean any of this has been easy to digest. She spends most of her days at the clinic getting blood draws, transfusions, biopsy’s, test after test always having the fear that the cancer will come back.
Earlier this Month, Julie got the news that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. She has a Stem Cell Donor! The doctors seem confident this can lead to her cure. Although her battle isn’t quite over, and she still has a long journey ahead of her. May 1st is the start of a new beginning. She will be getting intense chemotherapy to prepare her body for the new stem cells. Her transplant date is scheduled for May 9th. This will also require a month hospital stay, her total recovery period will be 12 months. During the first 100 days of her recovery, Julie will not be able to drive, cook, or clean. This time is critical to her recovery. She has a higher risk of complications, setbacks and she will require full time care at home.
This is where you can help, Julie is expected to continue to be out of work for the next 6 -12 months. Although she is a nurse, when she does go back to work she will not be able to provide patient care for 1 year after her transplant, Due to her having the immune system of a newborn and will have to go through the whole vaccination process again. Her new full time job will be focusing solely on her recovery. Unfortunately, it does not come with pay. In The meantime Julie and Mike could use some assistance to offset the stack of Medical bills, Monthly expenses and Housing expenses so Julie can truly focus on what’s most important, her recovery!
Thank you endlessly for anything you can do to help!
Organizer and beneficiary
Ana Garcia
Organizer
Gilbert, AZ
Julie Garn
Beneficiary