Julia Nicholson

August 2020

At first glance Julia looks like a typical 16 year old girl, but there is nothing typical about her. She has a gigantic heart that exudes love for everyone and everything. She has a beautiful passion for life, her family and friends. Her laugh is contagious, her smile brightens up the entire room, and her determination is admirable. She is our animal whisperer who loves to explore the many different worlds within books and movies, create beautiful pieces of artwork, bake delicious goodies, and is always down for a fun adventure or a simple evening at home with her family.

Last August Julia was thrown off a horse. After receiving a CT scan and then an MRI, the doctors discovered a brain tumor on her pineal gland. She went through an eight hour brain surgery and they were able to fully remove it. We thought we were done after the surgery, but it was just the beginning. We spent two months deciding the proper treatment plan, as her tumor was incredibly rare. We finally decided on 6 weeks of proton radiation therapy in Seattle and then four rounds of chemotherapy. On July 12th, Julia received her last bag of chemo! It was a glorious moment. Our mantra through this entire journey has been, “this too shall pass.” And we are moments away from it finally coming true!