Julie’s Story

Site created on June 26, 2019

On Monday evening, Julie was found collapsed at her home, in and out of consciousness, and had been that way for an unknown amount of time. She was taken by ambulance to North Memorial Hospital where they quickly assessed that she was experiencing an extreme case of hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) and ketoacidosis due to her Type 1 Diabetes and a significant lack of insulin.  This meant that her entire body was majorly out of wack and she was hanging on by a thread for her life. It was discovered that her insulin pump hadn't been functioning properly and failed to provide her any insulin for days, possibly weeks. For reference, an average person with Type 1 Diabetes will try to maintain their blood glucose level somewhere between 80-180. When Julie arrived at the hospital Monday night, her level was well exceeding 1,000.

 Since Monday evening, she is receiving around the clock care in the ICU at North Memorial. They have been providing insulin, electrolytes, potassium, calcium, and a bunch of other important fluids that keep our bodies moving. They took a CT scan on Monday evening that did reveal damage to the brain -- and right now that is our main concern. They ruled out any possibility of a stroke, so it could have been due to having such low blood pressure for however long. It is yet to be discovered if the brain will heal alongside her body. 

 We will use this CaringBridge site as a way to keep you posted. Julie is loved by SO many people who consider her a wonderful friend, a second mother, and a beloved family member. We will read her your messages and help to remind her that we're all in this journey alongside her. She is a FIGHTER so we know she'll give it everything she's got in the days ahead. 

Newest Update

Journal entry by Cassie Barten

Happy Saturday!

And what a big day it has been! Upon his arrival at the hospital this morning, Josh was very pleasantly surprised to find Julie sitting up in bed, awake, and communicating with everyone!!! She is here -- very present, aware, asking questions, etc. Of course, she is still sick and weak, so her communication is limited between periods of rest, as to be expected when you're trying to bounce back from such a journey. But WOW!! What a HUGE step. I'm in total awe of her strength and resiliency. 

They've moved her to a quieter floor where she can really focus on rest without the beeping and general chaos of an ICU. We look forward to meeting the new Dr. and learning about next steps + her goals for the days ahead. 

One quick cute story: she had been politely asking for water (anyone who knows Julie understands that she's never without a bottle of water) and finally one of the new nurses brought her a glass. She took a long, well-deserved sip out of the straw, and slowly said to the nurse, "Oh, I love you". We had a good laugh, and assured him that they'll be come best friends if he just keeps the water coming :)

We'll catch her up on all of your messages tomorrow! For now, we are hopeful she has a good night's rest! 

-Cassandra 
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