Support Julie in her journey with cancer

Hi, my name is Amber and I am reaching out today in support of my amazing aunt, Julie Lively. To say that Julie is a kind, loving, caring person is just about the understatement of the century. I count myself among the many lucky humans that have had the joy of being loved and cared for by Julie- now it's our turn to lift her up!

If you know Julie, you know that she survived cervical cancer 6 years ago. Treatment which included surgery, chemo and radiation was successful, and other than follow-ups every 6 months, she thought cancer was behind her.

Unfortunately, Julie recently learned that the cancer has returned, and this time it is metastatic. Miles and Julie, as well as her oncologist, are very surprised by this development.

In late December of 2022, she and her husband Miles both got COVID, and Julie quickly lost a lot of weight and was dealing with chronic fatigue. Despite great effort, she could not gain the weight back. Julie kept her oncologist updated which led to a series of testing and a biopsy. Each test came back concerning, and unfortunately, the biopsy came back positive for cancer. It was also discovered that her left kidney was not functioning correctly and she would need a procedure to ensure function in both kidneys ahead of her cancer treatment. Julie successfully jumped that hurdle last week and seems to be in good shape for the next steps.

While plans can change when one is on a journey with cancer, the current plan is that Julie will be receiving a chemo and medication cocktail every 21 days beginning in early June. After 4 cycles, scans will be repeated to see if it is helping. The results of the scans at the end of the 4 cycles will dictate what happens next. It is likely she will be on chemo for a long time.

While her situation is serious, Julie is confident in her oncology team and has quickly assembled therapies and practitioners to support her treatment, including her loving husband/talented acupuncturist, Miles!

If you've ever had to advocate for yourself in our complex medical system, you know it is both a full-time job and incredibly stressful. In addition to the mounting medical bills for her care, Julie and Miles will miss more work than they wish to make room for appointments and treatments, and caring for Julie in the midst of all of the not-fun side effects of chemo she is likely to experience.

Will you please consider donating to support Julie's care? Your donation, no matter how big or small, will make a huge impact for Julie and Miles. Anything we can do to help lighten the load will allow them to devote precious time and energy toward the only thing that really matters here: getting Julie BETTER. Julie and Miles appreciate your love, prayers, support, well wishes and encouraging notes as they steady themselves for the long, yet hopeful road ahead.

Feel free to share this fundraiser with those that know and love her, and those that would relate to her story and may feel called to participate. I will post updates here to keep you up to date with her treatments and progress along the way!

If you prefer to send a card of support instead of a donation, this is also most welcome! Some people have also requested to send a check. If you would prefer to send a card or a check please mail to:

Julie Lively

PO Box 2421

Idyllwild, CA 92549

You can also send funds to Julie directly via PayPal: @woolively

For those of you who are local to Idyllwild and would prefer to support Julie in person, be on the lookout for a July 4 Fundraiser at the Town Hall organized by some wonderful Idyllwild residents. Tickets will be available for sale before the event at Middle Ridge Winery and Sunshine Shipping.