Meet our Superhero: Julie Chau
Julie Chau was just 11-years-old when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia by the doctors at Children’s Hospital Minneapolis. Her parents had been away on a trip to Vietnam and when they came back, they noticed something was very wrong with her. Chau had lost 50 pounds in just one month and was pale and weak. They immediately rushed her to the local hospital where the doctors found major red flags with her blood tests and ultimately diagnosed her with leukemia.
“Before I was diagnosed I was a normal student that liked to go to school, loved to hang out with friends and participated in volunteer activities. But as the symptoms of cancer began to affect me, I had become physically weakened and my life was completely changed,” said Chau.
Chau’s treatment consisted of intense chemotherapy and radiation that left her too weak to go school and she often spent several weeks at a time in the hospital. At one point, she developed a liver infection that caused her kidneys to fail and the doctors had to induce a coma to help her body heal. She remained in that coma for several weeks, with the doctors giving her only a 20 percent chance of living. When she finally woke up, she had to learn how to walk and use every muscle in her body once again and she slowly became stronger.
“Through my four-year battle, I survived many life-threatening obstacles that I will never forget. It is currently my eighth year of being cancer-free and the doctors have said my cancer is completely in remission. As a result, I want to make a difference in the lives of people who share this experience as a cancer patient,” said Chau.
Chau is raising money for CureSearch for Children’s Cancer through with the 2018 Superheroes Unite! Twin Cities event taking place on Sunday, September 16 at the Lake Phalen Amphitheater. Superheroes Unite! is a family friendly superhero-themed event that unites a community around the children who are battling cancer and those who have lost their lives to the disease. Event participants raise money for childhood cancer research and includes a one-mile walk and family-fun activities such as face painting, food, music, medal ceremony and more. Register or learn more at curesearchsuperheroes.org.
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