RUNNING FOR HER LIFE Julie Takes on the

By: Melissa Mc Alpine

Vivacious and full of life, Julie Taylor, a 44-year-old, wife and mother of a young son, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in November 2021, the most serious and life-threatening stage of breast cancer. By the time Julie had been diagnosed, the cancer had already spread into her bones and she was given a bleak prognosis of between three to six months left to live.

Determined not to give up, Julie met with Integrative Oncologist, Dr James Laporta, who gave a ray of hope in the form of a plan that could see Julie reaching remission. After seven months of gruelling chemotherapy, integrative therapies, and more tests, Julie’s tumour had shrunk in size. While this news brought feelings of relief to Julie and her family, the care and treatments received came at a massive cost of around half a million rand that wasn’t covered by medical aid. Often, when families are faced with a challenging medical diagnosis, they’re not prepared for the financial burden placed on them at a vulnerable time in their lives.

Again, Julie wasn’t going to let this get her down. Always up for a challenge, and having come this far, Julie signed up to participate in this year’s Two Ocean’s Half Marathon (21km), taking place on Sunday 16 April, to raise funds to cover her medical expenses. The inspiration behind taking part in the Two Oceans Marathon came from Julie’s walks, and then runs, along Stanford’s Wandelpad. “Stanford, with its friendly people and beautiful surrounds, has been a big part of my healing journey,” says Julie.

Another reason for Julie running the Two Oceans Marathon is to help others in a similar situation: “My hope is that the standard of care for cancer will change in the future, but in the meantime, I’ll just keep running.” As long as she can make a difference to other people facing the same challenges, she intends to keep running the marathon every year for as long as possible.

To help Julie and her family navigate their way through endless bills, a BackABuddy fund has been established to help lighten the load. If you’re able to contribute by way of a donation, please follow the link below. As a token of appreciation, all donors’ names will go into a hat for a lucky dip draw, which will happen on 16 April after the race. There are some fantastic prizes to be won.