Join Julie's Fight Against Stage 4 Breast Cancer

Hello, I am reaching out to family, friends, or anyone who may possibly stumble upon this story. My friend Julie (Magnus) Cook was recently diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, which has also spread to her liver. I think hearing her words would be the best way to convey her story. If you know Julie, you know she’s the most loving, dependable, selfless person, always giving and not wondering what she’ll get in return. I hope this touches you all like it did me. Here is her story and journey:

I never imagined I’d have to write something like this. These are words I never thought I’d need to breathe into existence. But here I am, with a truth that’s heavy and fragile all at once: I have stage 4 breast cancer.

Cancer doesn’t care about the plans we make or the years we think we have left to live. I always pictured myself old and gray, maybe sitting on a porch somewhere, if those words ever found me. Not at 42... Not now, when I still feel so alive, so full of fight. But cancer doesn’t ask permission—it just takes.

This all began with a quiet ache in my liver. I thought it might be tied to the piece of myself I gave to my dad back in 2011, when I donated part of my liver to save him. A CAT scan revealed tumors instead, dark shadows where I expected simple everyday answers. Two weeks ago, a biopsy confirmed the worst: they were cancerous, and they’d traveled from my breast. Yesterday, I sat across from an oncologist for the first time. He gave it a name—stage 4 cancer—since it has metastasized and spread to my liver. His voice was steady as he said, “It’s not good, but it’s treatable.” Treatable, but not curable. A permanent guest in my body, even in remission. A shadow I’ll carry forever.

Next week, I’ll have a PET scan and an MRI of my brain to see if it’s reached further than we know. I’m asking for your prayers, your good vibes, whatever light you can send—please, let those scans come back clear. Let this be the boundary of its reach. I don’t know if it slipped past last year’s mammogram, if it hid behind a benign tumor I’d already made peace with, or if it surged up fast and fierce. The “whys” and “hows” are a maze I can’t wander right now. All I can do is look ahead to the next step, one foot in front of the other.

I’m sharing this here because I want my family and friends to know what’s happening—not just the facts, but the heart of it. I’m blessed beyond measure to have you all, this incredible support system holding me up. I am strong. I will rise to this. Every day, I’ll fight with everything I have. They say God never gives you more than you can bear, and if that’s true, He must see a strength in me I’m still discovering—maybe a cape I didn’t know I owned. I’ve got this. And cancer? You don’t get to win. Screw you.

To my husband, my family, my friends—thank you. You’ve carried me through these past few months as we’ve pieced this together, and I want you to know I feel your love the way a heart feels its own beat. I’m not alone in this, “you are my beat” and that’s more than I could ever ask for.

With that being said, Julie could use your help to cover the current and unforeseeable financial strain this terrible disease has brought upon her. We hope this money helps if she needs to take time off work, travel back and forth from Tennessee to California to be with loved ones, pay for any possible bills that come her way, or even just a nice lunch/dinner on all of us… Any amount, big or small, will give her some comfort to make sure she is taking care of herself first and foremost. Most importantly, make sure to check in and send words of encouragement to our warrior. Thank you all. We Love you Julie!!!