Help the Lemke Family Beat Cancer!
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Well here we are. In a place I never thought I'd be, dealing with something that no one should have have to endure. On June 15, 2021 Julian was diagnosed with cancer. We didn't know what kind, how long he'd had it, or what his prognosis was going to be. This cancer came out of nowhere and hit us like a ton of bricks. Last month, our family was adventuring through Texas State Parks, making plans to go to the beach this weekend, loving every moment we were spending together as a family. Now, we're doing something completely different.
For the past few weeks, Julian has been feeling extremely fatigued. He had a few swollen lymph nodes in his neck and under his arms. He visited the doctor but they believed it to be a viral infection. They floated the idea of lymphoma and did some blood work but there was nothing in the blood work to be concerned with at the time. They sent him home. Julian kept working, we kept hiking on the weekends, enjoying our lives like nothing was happening. Over last weekend, Julian felt very tired and very out of it. He went to work on Monday morning and that's really when this all started.
On Monday, June 14, Julian went to work, treating patients, trying to get through the day. Around midday he started to get woozy. He couldn't stand, he started sweating, he was blacking out. He went back to the doctor that afternoon to get some answers and he was told it was probably still the viral infection. They drew more blood for more blood work but they sent him home with a prescription for anti-nausea meds. He had been throwing up a bit over the weekend and felt pretty yucky. He drove over to HEB to pick up his medication but while at the pharmacy he started blacking out again. He called me to pick him up so I grabbed the kids and we went to go get him. He looked horrible. Julian was barely conscious, sitting in a pharmacy chair, sheet-white and sweating like crazy. He could barely walk to the car that I parked at the curb.
When we got home, he curled up on the couch and faded in and out of sleep. Eventually we got him up to bed but he had the worst sleep of his life. In the morning he said that every position was agony. He was in horrible pain the entire night. Tuesday morning, he said, "I think we need to go to the hospital."
The kids and I drove Julian to the ER, they took him up, and the kids and I went home to wait and hear what they said. Julian had a tear in his spleen and he had been bleeding internally for the past 2 days. They said, without a blunt trauma to the spleen, having a tear is rare, unless you have lymphoma. They took him to radiology, fixed the tear by running a cath through his femoral artery. Julian immediately felt better and we waited at Resolute Hospital for more news. While Julian was in radiology for the splenic repair, they ran a CAT scan and his doctor noticed a 5" wide clump of lymphoblastic cells near his heart. They took a few core biopsies from a node near his spleen to run some tests, but they already knew he probably had lymphoma.
Fast forward to Wednesday, Julian was transferred to Methodist Hospital in San Antonio. They have an incredible oncology team there and he was going to be taken care of by Dr. John Renshaw. He's a military doctor who served 2 stints in Afghanistan and is one of the best oncologists for blood cancers. I drove down to Methodist and found Julian on the oncology floor. That day was the worst day of my life. The hospital is enormous, everything is white, the word ONCOLOGY hits you like a train once you hit the 8th floor. We were supposed to go to Galveston today, but now Julian's in the hospital with cancer.
The good news is, his prognosis is excellent. He has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. It is CURABLE. It is a blood cancer, there are no stages. It is not hereditary, there is a simple mutation in some bone marrow cells. Julian will be undergoing chemotherapy treatments starting Monday, 6/21. He will be in the hospital for the next 4 weeks, and that's where this GoFundMe comes in.
Not only are these huge hospital bills going to be piling up, Julian will not be working for at least the next month. We have 2 small children, Elliott (6) and Eleanor (4) and I'm going to be their sole provider for the next month at least, possibly longer. We need some help paying these medical bills but also paying our regular bills. This situation is so incredibly scary and I want to put all of my energy into being positive for Julian and positive for my kids.
When I was a little girl, my mother was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She battled that cancer for 2 years. She wasn't lucky and she passed away when I was 11. I've carried that burden my entire life and when I got married and had my children I prayed to God that my kids would never have to endure what my sister and I did when we were little. Everyone keeps telling me that was 20 years ago and medicine has come a long way. But I'm still angry that God has put me in this situation again. That someone I love is battling this cruel disease, that cancer is back in my life again. Fortunately, Julian's prognosis is incredible and we are extremely optimistic.
Even if you cannot donate financially, sending prayers, calling Julian, sending balloons, flowers, video games, movies, books will all help. To help get the word out, you can share the link to your Facebook Timeline!
Julian needs his spirits lifted at all times. Yes, the chemotherapy will cure him but the positivity will keep him going. This chemo is going to suck. Its going to tear Julian up. But we have our village to keep him uplifted. We have God in our corner to hear our prayers.
I will send updates as I can on Julian's progress so you can keep him in your prayers. Thank you!
For the past few weeks, Julian has been feeling extremely fatigued. He had a few swollen lymph nodes in his neck and under his arms. He visited the doctor but they believed it to be a viral infection. They floated the idea of lymphoma and did some blood work but there was nothing in the blood work to be concerned with at the time. They sent him home. Julian kept working, we kept hiking on the weekends, enjoying our lives like nothing was happening. Over last weekend, Julian felt very tired and very out of it. He went to work on Monday morning and that's really when this all started.
On Monday, June 14, Julian went to work, treating patients, trying to get through the day. Around midday he started to get woozy. He couldn't stand, he started sweating, he was blacking out. He went back to the doctor that afternoon to get some answers and he was told it was probably still the viral infection. They drew more blood for more blood work but they sent him home with a prescription for anti-nausea meds. He had been throwing up a bit over the weekend and felt pretty yucky. He drove over to HEB to pick up his medication but while at the pharmacy he started blacking out again. He called me to pick him up so I grabbed the kids and we went to go get him. He looked horrible. Julian was barely conscious, sitting in a pharmacy chair, sheet-white and sweating like crazy. He could barely walk to the car that I parked at the curb.
When we got home, he curled up on the couch and faded in and out of sleep. Eventually we got him up to bed but he had the worst sleep of his life. In the morning he said that every position was agony. He was in horrible pain the entire night. Tuesday morning, he said, "I think we need to go to the hospital."
The kids and I drove Julian to the ER, they took him up, and the kids and I went home to wait and hear what they said. Julian had a tear in his spleen and he had been bleeding internally for the past 2 days. They said, without a blunt trauma to the spleen, having a tear is rare, unless you have lymphoma. They took him to radiology, fixed the tear by running a cath through his femoral artery. Julian immediately felt better and we waited at Resolute Hospital for more news. While Julian was in radiology for the splenic repair, they ran a CAT scan and his doctor noticed a 5" wide clump of lymphoblastic cells near his heart. They took a few core biopsies from a node near his spleen to run some tests, but they already knew he probably had lymphoma.
Fast forward to Wednesday, Julian was transferred to Methodist Hospital in San Antonio. They have an incredible oncology team there and he was going to be taken care of by Dr. John Renshaw. He's a military doctor who served 2 stints in Afghanistan and is one of the best oncologists for blood cancers. I drove down to Methodist and found Julian on the oncology floor. That day was the worst day of my life. The hospital is enormous, everything is white, the word ONCOLOGY hits you like a train once you hit the 8th floor. We were supposed to go to Galveston today, but now Julian's in the hospital with cancer.
The good news is, his prognosis is excellent. He has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. It is CURABLE. It is a blood cancer, there are no stages. It is not hereditary, there is a simple mutation in some bone marrow cells. Julian will be undergoing chemotherapy treatments starting Monday, 6/21. He will be in the hospital for the next 4 weeks, and that's where this GoFundMe comes in.
Not only are these huge hospital bills going to be piling up, Julian will not be working for at least the next month. We have 2 small children, Elliott (6) and Eleanor (4) and I'm going to be their sole provider for the next month at least, possibly longer. We need some help paying these medical bills but also paying our regular bills. This situation is so incredibly scary and I want to put all of my energy into being positive for Julian and positive for my kids.
When I was a little girl, my mother was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She battled that cancer for 2 years. She wasn't lucky and she passed away when I was 11. I've carried that burden my entire life and when I got married and had my children I prayed to God that my kids would never have to endure what my sister and I did when we were little. Everyone keeps telling me that was 20 years ago and medicine has come a long way. But I'm still angry that God has put me in this situation again. That someone I love is battling this cruel disease, that cancer is back in my life again. Fortunately, Julian's prognosis is incredible and we are extremely optimistic.
Even if you cannot donate financially, sending prayers, calling Julian, sending balloons, flowers, video games, movies, books will all help. To help get the word out, you can share the link to your Facebook Timeline!
Julian needs his spirits lifted at all times. Yes, the chemotherapy will cure him but the positivity will keep him going. This chemo is going to suck. Its going to tear Julian up. But we have our village to keep him uplifted. We have God in our corner to hear our prayers.
I will send updates as I can on Julian's progress so you can keep him in your prayers. Thank you!
Organizer
Brittany Lemke
Organizer
New Braunfels, TX