Subject: Who is Julie Allen?
Many of you only know me through the pictures on the internet as your Publicity Chair. I never made it to the introduction of 2007 class members as I usually had a conflict ing meeting . So just a little (ahem) to let you know who I am-the one now fighting cancer again.I am a dairy farm girl from Wisconsin-Allenville (yes, after my family), to be exact, near Oshkosh (yes, Oshkosh-B-Gosh) and graduated from the U of Wis-Oshkosh in Art and Biology (yes, I had very vivid notes and carried paintings of bugs or created biology related jewelry ). After dawdling about for a couple of years I took off to Tucson, AZ and lived there for 14 years where I met my husband, a metallurgical engineer (say that fast) who currently does failure analysis and corrosion testing as a private consultant and for Dresser Rand of Olean, NY. (he usually goes there 1 week a month).
After the birth of my 2nd girl, we moved to Corpus Christi, TX for 2 years (still have a house for sale there-interested?) where my husband had worked for a hazardous waste recycling plant. Then we moved to Greenville, SC.I loved Greenville as it is similar zone to here and was green like Wisconsin. It has a waterfall that goes through downtown. I was an avid Jazzerciser (yes, there is Jazzercise) and became class clown and registrar ( I knew the computer then)-6-7 days a week-1-2 hours a day! I also was a costume designer for the local Children's theater before we moved again.. My husband had moved to SC to work in a waste water treatment facility and after 5 years then worked for the Engineering firm-Fluor Daniel. This provided us with the=2 0experience of living 3+ months in Australia and 2 months in the Andes in Peru. My husband usually lived longer in these places than the family but he also lived in Spain, Denmark, Sweden, and Scotland for short stints which we never had the opportunity to visit. I have usually lived without him for months on end so having him working out of the house now is an entirely new experience. So after 13 years in SC, he l! iv! ed in DE for 6 months, and then decided Maryland would be for the place for my then 8th grader to finish school, our cats and me to live.That all was 5 years ago on a cold March day to Elkton, MD, and that summer I was diagnosed with breast cancer and spent the next year digging holes in our almost barren yard and going to doctors. All I knew were the doctors. My cancer was contained and a stage zero. I had a tram flap/mastectomy and continued with plastic surgeon visits for another year to straighten out scarring, etc. but I did manage to start some gardening. The hole digging resulted in a beautiful fish pond. I got more of my act together and joined an Art Doll group (a creative outlet) in fall of 2006 and then 2007 joined the MG's. I now have more friends than just some of the neighbors in our subdivision (I still have not met the wife next door). Now I face a brand new type of breast cancer-adenocarcenoma, HER 3+.
I had been feeling tired and coughing and having difficulty breathing since April. My oncologist had noticed swollen lymph nodes in late April and was concerned about my cough. CT scan showed swollen nodes on my chest and one of my vocal chord in the wrong position. My general surgeon (not really worried about BC recurring) sent me to an ENT to have my chords looked at. That was not of concern to the ENT because I could talk (I can always talk) and was still breathing( but labored)-had to be allergies. Then confusion set in as allergy testing started and Drs. called back and forth. A biopsy was scheduled of the nodes June 24th. They had an earlier opening but I told them I wanted to be able to breathe before I went to surgery. Little did I or anyone know it was because the cancer was creating the fluid and also pushing against my vocal chords. So after great concern during my biopsy on the 24th where I informed them I sti! ll! could not breathe, I called my family physician. She had me admitted to the ER within moments after getting a preliminary biopsy report and seeing my O2 levels keep decreasing upon just walking (by this time I could hardly stand or walk 5 feet). This all occurred at Union Hospital but everyone there was on the ball and I have had test after test. The cancer in not in my brain (although some would think so) and my heart is good.(always a kind heart) I have not heard the results of the bone scan. I was started chemo in the hospital (july 1-4) and wi ll have my 3rd treatment Wed. It is in my lungs, liver, adrenal glands, and nodes. The ultrasound did not really show anything in the breast. This aggressive cancer usually responds well to chemo and that is a strong hope of mine. (at least for 3 months, 1X/week) My hair is still on my head but soon it will be garden hats. I had a chem port put in Friday. I have "nas! ty! " veins so I give all the needle punchers a good time. I wi ll be on herceptin for whatever the rest of my life is (that sounds negative, sorry).
My daughters are handling this all pretty good and have actually tried to cook and clean. Skills I never really taught them. I know they are scared but hope they will talk to me. The oldest is getting her MS. in psychology at the U of Penn, the youngest is still searching for her career at U of MD-College Park. They are not gardeners but enjoy the "fruits of my labor". I have a "hippie" organic gardener stepson who will visit soon. As for my husband, well, this is a whole new "job" for him and there is no real manual. But with good cough medicine, he and the dog are finally getting a better night's sleep (well, me too). I have had neighbors and Master Gardener's helping me. I wish to thank them all, you,everyone for your thoughts, prayers and care. What lies ahead, who knows but having good friends keeps it all in perspective. I think most of us have=2 0had someone touch their lives by cancer. Nasty l! it! tle thing so lets all hope for a cure fast. I am not seeking sympathy just want you all to know a little bit about me. I am hoping to get back to some of my art work although the projects may be smaller than what I had wanted to do this summer.Weeding and watering the garden? My husband tries, well he tries. So anytime anyone wants to take out their frustrations,stop on by- despite no rain, the weeds keep growing. You may have to get to know Ashton, the Jack Russell but he is really a sweet guy-spoiled by me of course.So again-I hope this gets you a little insight and you can see my photo on the website to put name and face together. Thank you to everyone.
Julie Allen
Many of you only know me through the pictures on the internet as your Publicity Chair. I never made it to the introduction of 2007 class members as I usually had a conflict ing meeting . So just a little (ahem) to let you know who I am-the one now fighting cancer again.I am a dairy farm girl from Wisconsin-Allenville (yes, after my family), to be exact, near Oshkosh (yes, Oshkosh-B-Gosh) and graduated from the U of Wis-Oshkosh in Art and Biology (yes, I had very vivid notes and carried paintings of bugs or created biology related jewelry ). After dawdling about for a couple of years I took off to Tucson, AZ and lived there for 14 years where I met my husband, a metallurgical engineer (say that fast) who currently does failure analysis and corrosion testing as a private consultant and for Dresser Rand of Olean, NY. (he usually goes there 1 week a month).
After the birth of my 2nd girl, we moved to Corpus Christi, TX for 2 years (still have a house for sale there-interested?) where my husband had worked for a hazardous waste recycling plant. Then we moved to Greenville, SC.I loved Greenville as it is similar zone to here and was green like Wisconsin. It has a waterfall that goes through downtown. I was an avid Jazzerciser (yes, there is Jazzercise) and became class clown and registrar ( I knew the computer then)-6-7 days a week-1-2 hours a day! I also was a costume designer for the local Children's theater before we moved again.. My husband had moved to SC to work in a waste water treatment facility and after 5 years then worked for the Engineering firm-Fluor Daniel. This provided us with the=2 0experience of living 3+ months in Australia and 2 months in the Andes in Peru. My husband usually lived longer in these places than the family but he also lived in Spain, Denmark, Sweden, and Scotland for short stints which we never had the opportunity to visit. I have usually lived without him for months on end so having him working out of the house now is an entirely new experience. So after 13 years in SC, he l! iv! ed in DE for 6 months, and then decided Maryland would be for the place for my then 8th grader to finish school, our cats and me to live.That all was 5 years ago on a cold March day to Elkton, MD, and that summer I was diagnosed with breast cancer and spent the next year digging holes in our almost barren yard and going to doctors. All I knew were the doctors. My cancer was contained and a stage zero. I had a tram flap/mastectomy and continued with plastic surgeon visits for another year to straighten out scarring, etc. but I did manage to start some gardening. The hole digging resulted in a beautiful fish pond. I got more of my act together and joined an Art Doll group (a creative outlet) in fall of 2006 and then 2007 joined the MG's. I now have more friends than just some of the neighbors in our subdivision (I still have not met the wife next door). Now I face a brand new type of breast cancer-adenocarcenoma, HER 3+.
I had been feeling tired and coughing and having difficulty breathing since April. My oncologist had noticed swollen lymph nodes in late April and was concerned about my cough. CT scan showed swollen nodes on my chest and one of my vocal chord in the wrong position. My general surgeon (not really worried about BC recurring) sent me to an ENT to have my chords looked at. That was not of concern to the ENT because I could talk (I can always talk) and was still breathing( but labored)-had to be allergies. Then confusion set in as allergy testing started and Drs. called back and forth. A biopsy was scheduled of the nodes June 24th. They had an earlier opening but I told them I wanted to be able to breathe before I went to surgery. Little did I or anyone know it was because the cancer was creating the fluid and also pushing against my vocal chords. So after great concern during my biopsy on the 24th where I informed them I sti! ll! could not breathe, I called my family physician. She had me admitted to the ER within moments after getting a preliminary biopsy report and seeing my O2 levels keep decreasing upon just walking (by this time I could hardly stand or walk 5 feet). This all occurred at Union Hospital but everyone there was on the ball and I have had test after test. The cancer in not in my brain (although some would think so) and my heart is good.(always a kind heart) I have not heard the results of the bone scan. I was started chemo in the hospital (july 1-4) and wi ll have my 3rd treatment Wed. It is in my lungs, liver, adrenal glands, and nodes. The ultrasound did not really show anything in the breast. This aggressive cancer usually responds well to chemo and that is a strong hope of mine. (at least for 3 months, 1X/week) My hair is still on my head but soon it will be garden hats. I had a chem port put in Friday. I have "nas! ty! " veins so I give all the needle punchers a good time. I wi ll be on herceptin for whatever the rest of my life is (that sounds negative, sorry).
My daughters are handling this all pretty good and have actually tried to cook and clean. Skills I never really taught them. I know they are scared but hope they will talk to me. The oldest is getting her MS. in psychology at the U of Penn, the youngest is still searching for her career at U of MD-College Park. They are not gardeners but enjoy the "fruits of my labor". I have a "hippie" organic gardener stepson who will visit soon. As for my husband, well, this is a whole new "job" for him and there is no real manual. But with good cough medicine, he and the dog are finally getting a better night's sleep (well, me too). I have had neighbors and Master Gardener's helping me. I wish to thank them all, you,everyone for your thoughts, prayers and care. What lies ahead, who knows but having good friends keeps it all in perspective. I think most of us have=2 0had someone touch their lives by cancer. Nasty l! it! tle thing so lets all hope for a cure fast. I am not seeking sympathy just want you all to know a little bit about me. I am hoping to get back to some of my art work although the projects may be smaller than what I had wanted to do this summer.Weeding and watering the garden? My husband tries, well he tries. So anytime anyone wants to take out their frustrations,stop on by- despite no rain, the weeds keep growing. You may have to get to know Ashton, the Jack Russell but he is really a sweet guy-spoiled by me of course.So again-I hope this gets you a little insight and you can see my photo on the website to put name and face together. Thank you to everyone.
Julie Allen
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