Julie Prater and her husband Luke are getting ready to welcome a baby girl.
They’ve named her June Lane. She’ll arrive on Monday by planned C-section.
“It’s pretty awesome that we’ve made it this far,” Prater said. “I think it’s only by God’s grace and mercy that I’m here, she’s here.”
When Prater, a nurse at Texas Health Plano, was only eight weeks pregnant, she began experiencing twitches in her leg. Soon, they were full blown seizures.
Doctors found a mass in her brain and recommended surgery.
The Praters waited until the beginning of the second trimester before going under the knife. The mass was identified as a grade four glioblastoma, an aggressive and fast growing tumor.
“We just decided we were going to wait as long as we could,” she said, of her treatment.
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After nearly losing the pregnancy during surgery, Prater said she wanted to hold off on radiation, but was told the tumor was growing.
She won’t be able to start oral chemotherapy until more than a week after baby June is born.
Visiting her former co-workers at Texas Health Plano on Wednesday, Prater was greeted by cheers, signs and shirts reading “Hope for Julie.”
Because of the seizures, Prater can’t be left alone. Her co-workers and friends have taken turns sitting with her to make sure her husband can still work.
Prater is sharing her story to raise awareness for brain cancer and support for research. She and her husband have launched a new nonprofit website www.head4hope.org.
They’ve also started a personal website to directly help her care at www.gofundme.com/julieprater.
