courage, HOPE and POSITIVITY

ND Nonprofit PRAY for GRAY HOLDS

8th ANNUAL GALA

Her bright smile and endearing sense of humor give no clue to the harrowing days and months Julie Fletcher of Ottertail, Minnesota, endured in the late spring and summer of 2007.

On May 23 of that year, Fletcher and husband Rick headed down the highway to Fort Collins, Colorado, after Rick concluded a routine business trip. Plans to spend the night and fly home the next morning quickly changed. With Fletcher at the wheel, Rick instinctively realized something wasn’t right with her and asked her to pull over so he could drive. Hours later with no recollection of the grand mal seizure that occurred, she woke to a room of doctors and nurses unsure of what was taking place.

The on-call neurosurgeon soon answered her questions, telling Fletcher and Rick she had a brain tumor the size of a small orange in her right frontal lobe.

A week later at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, she was given the choice of postponing surgery until fall, but quickly decided to opt for the next available appointment. On June 21, 2007 a mixed grade four oligoastrocytoma dendroglioma brain tumor was removed from Fletcher’s brain. The news that followed was devastating to Fletcher, Rick, family, and friends. Her doctor advised “start living,” gently explaining she had 12¬–18 months to live.

Fletcher rallied after receiving the difficult news deciding to approach the prognosis with a positive attitude. “I thought there is no other choice,” she explains. “You’ve got to just step it up and say it is what it is and I’m going to enjoy every day and make the best of it.”

The next six weeks Fletcher endured radiation therapy followed by six months of chemotherapy. There were times Fletcher would find herself wondering if this was going to be the last time seeing something happen in a particular month. She would ask herself: “Will this be the last year I get to see this crop growing in July? Will this be the last Christmas with my family?” But as the days marched on and no sign of the tumor returned, Fletcher sailed past her prognosis date of 18 months and remains free of the tumor today.

During her journey, Fletcher found it important to reach out to others going through the same or similar experience. Being able to find peers and individuals to share their stories of brain cancer, and being able to ask them questions along the way about what to possibly expect, was something Fletcher found helpful and positive.

It was after attending the Minneapolis event Humor to Fight the Tumor that Fletcher developed the idea of forming a nonprofit charity dedicated to brain tumor research in North Dakota. Pray for Gray began in 2008 and will proudly hold its 8th annual gala on September 9. Fletcher is devoted to helping those affected by brain tumors, often connecting those with similar circumstances and offering her own words of encouragement. “I hope I’m living proof for other people to get through the prognosis they are given,” says Fletcher.

Fletcher expresses her sentiments saying, “The success of the Pray for Gray Foundation would not be possible without the support of family, friends, volunteers, board and committee members, and all of the sponsors. And I extend a thank you to all whom have helped make this foundation a true success.”

“We don’t always get to pick what we’re going through, but we can change our attitude,” Fletcher offers, giving sound advice to anyone going through a difficult illness. “Surround yourself with a good support system of family and friends, have faith, eat as nutritionally as you can, daily exercise if possible, and stay with a mentally positive attitude. Letting oneself be consumed by negativity will only weigh a person down. Embrace your journey and what you are going through head on, simply because there is no other option. Tell yourself you can beat this every single day as I did.”

Nine years later, reflecting on the road she has traveled, Fletcher continues writing to her surgeon. She tells him, “Between your professionalism and my good attitude the recipe is perfect. I’m still here and I’m still doing good.”

LEARN MORE:

Pray for Gray 8th Annual Gala

Friday, September 9, 2016, 6:00 pm

Hilton Garden Inn, Fargo, ND Visit prayforgray.com to register, read more, or to donate.

Proceeds benefit brain tumor research and local families affected by brain cancer.