Carer Of Disabled Son Beats Breast Cancer And Graduates From Uni With Honors

8 Sep 2011: Tonight will see Julie Gilmore, a full time carer for her disabled son, proudly graduate, with honors, from a university in Western Australia.

Julie has taken care of her young son Mitchell, all his life. Mitchell was diagnosed as a child, with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Mitchell’s type of Muscular Dystrophy is the most severe and debilitating type of the muscle wasting condition. At around ten years of age, an electric wheelchair is usually required for mobility. Sadly, those who are born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, only have a short life expectancy of up to twenty years (at best).

Julie, who resides in Southern River, Western Australia, was finding it difficult to keep up with working part-time and taking care of her son, but wanted to keep her mind active, so she decided to go back to university. Julie says, ‘I saw many advantages to returning to study, including the mental stimulation and a means to avoid the social isolation that befalls so many carers’.

With original plans to enrol in a Bachelor of Forensic Biology and Toxicology, at Murdoch University, Julie changed her mind, deciding to instead enrol in a Bachelor of Science, with a double major in Molecular Biology and Biomedical Science. This change of mind, proved to be fateful, and could have led to Julie’s life being saved...

When she was nearing her final exams for the third year of study, Julie noticed a change in her skin on her breast. This was something that she recognised from her studies. She booked in for a mammogram, with results confirming a ductal carcinoma in situ. Julie was then scheduled for a lumpectomy.

Upon returning to study after the Christmas break, Julie’s first half of her final year of study, revolved around radiation therapy, and recovery. Julie remained upbeat, always keeping a positive outlook on life. ‘You realise that there are always things that are beyond your control, and you’ve just got to get on with it as best you can’, says Julie.

She was so grateful for the university being so lenient to her needs, not only during her cancer ordeal, but also when she required time off to care for her son.

Now that Julie has her honours, she isn’t stopping just yet. She plans on gaining her PhD in Neuroscience, which she will once again, obtain through Murdoch University, in Western Australia.

Congratulations to Julie, and good luck with your future studies! This just goes to show what hard work, determination, and a positive attitude can attain. If you put your mind to something, the sky’s the limit.... Believe, and you will achieve.

To read the original article from the Perth Now media website, click here: http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/battling-mum-graduates-university-with-honours/story-e6frg13u-1226131542856