Support Julie's Recovery

Update April 7, 2024:

Hi everyone,

Thank you for all of your love and support during this difficult time. A little update about how I’m doing: All five valves were successfully removed from my lung and it is continuing to heal and expand. Breathing is getting easier, I am feeling stronger each day, and I'm able to go on walks outside again. I am hoping that I can eventually start running in the future! Thank you for all of your prayers, kindness, and help. I would not be able to recover as well or as strong without your generosity. Your kind words and encouragement helped me remain hopeful and joyful and helped me get through the pain. I am so grateful for God’s love and for the love that you have shown me. I am grateful to be alive. I wish you all good fortune and good health this year. A lesson that I would like to share from this experience is to cherish even the smallest of moments and the simplest of things, such as breathing clean air. Continue to look after and love one another. Be well.

Love,

Julie

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After a life-threatening emergency, Julie is finally on the road to recovery, but medical bills are piling up quickly. All donations will go towards medical expenses to support Julie’s recovery. Thank you for your support!

(The text below includes descriptions of medical procedures – Please, read with care )

Dear Friends,

My sister, Julie Brasher, is one of the most kindhearted people you will ever meet. Julie is so much to so many people. She is a trustworthy loving sister, daughter, aunt, cousin and friend. Anyone who knows Julie, knows she is always putting others' needs before her own and you can always count on her to lend an ear when you need someone to talk to.

On November 21, 2023, Julie went to urgent care after feeling out of breath for the past week and a half. After the nurse listened to her right lung for a long time, it was clear something was wrong. With diminished lung sounds on the right, they did an x-ray, and discovered a spontaneous pneumothorax. Julie’s right lung had collapsed, prompting a potentially life-threatening medical emergency that required an ambulance to transport her to the hospital for emergency care.

Julie’s body had compensated so well, that her vital signs had remained within normal ranges. However, that is not typical for a spontaneous pneumothorax and could change at any moment. Once in the Emergency Room, the ER team worked quickly to address the collapsed lung by inserting a chest tube several inches into her chest cavity. The procedure was excruciatingly painful, but Julie has persevered, showing incredible strength mentally and physically throughout this whole experience.

After the chest tube insertion, Julie spent 18 days in the hospital and during her stay, the doctors ordered X-rays to be taken of her lungs every 6-8 hours to monitor the build-up of fluid in her lungs. Since the initial procedure, she endured three additional invasive procedures including 3 chest tube placements, lung surgery, a bronchoscopy, and valves placement. All this in hopes of preventing her lung from collapsing again, and to help the lung heal.

Unfortunately, Julie is still in a lot of pain and the most recent X-rays show she still has some fluid around her lung. She is due for a fifth procedure in the next few months, where they will perform another bronchoscopy and remove the valves from her lung, but only if the lung has healed properly.

It has been hard to comprehend that my young, beautiful, healthy sister has had to experience something like this. Julie is incredibly strong, and this experience has been anything but easy for her. Even with good health insurance, the medical bills are quickly piling up.

All the funds will go directly to Julie to help with medical bills as she continues to recover.

Thank you for being here and for your generosity! Julie and the rest of the family greatly appreciate all the kind words and support we have received thus far.

With Gratitude,

Lynn