In this episode of Grit Diaries, we sit down with Julie Randall, a Stage 4 Melanoma survivor who defied a terminal diagnosis to find a life-saving clinical trial...

Episode Summary

What would you do if you were given 72 hours to live? When Julie Randall was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Melanoma that had spread to her brain, she refused to accept a terminal "no." In this powerful episode of Grit Diaries, Mon & Mazz explore Julie’s extraordinary journey of tenacity—from the moment her life changed overnight to her global search for a life-saving clinical trial. Julie’s story is a masterclass in the "Grit" required to find a Plan B when the world says there isn't one.

Episode Pillars

1. The 72-Hour Turning Point: Facing a terminal diagnosis with two young daughters and choosing to "not go quietly."
2. The Global Search for a Miracle: The relentless pursuit of a US-based clinical trial and the bureaucratic hurdles of the medical system.
3. Mindset as Medicine: How Julie managed the mental "white noise" of trauma to stay focused on survival.
4. Patient Advocacy: Why Julie now dedicates her life to helping others navigate the "broken" parts of the healthcare system.
5. The Kintsugi Connection: Finding the gold in the repair and why scars are a testament to a life fought for and won.

Topics Covered: > Julie Randall, Stage 4 Melanoma, Grit Diaries, Kintsugi Heroes, Cancer Survivor Stories, Clinical Trials, Patient 71, Resilience, Overcoming Terminal Diagnosis, Patient Advocacy, Australia Podcast, Metastatic Melanoma, Mental Wellbeing, Simone Allan, Maryan Bova.

The Kintsugi Connection

To see the visual story of Julie's journey and explore more episodes of resilience, visit our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@kintsugiheroes/videos

If Julie’s story moved you, explore these related Hero conversations:

1. Dealing with Illness? Listen to Ian Westmoreland’s story of launching Kintsugi Heroes while facing his own melanoma journey.
2. Seeking Resilience? Discover how Cameron reframed a terminal prognosis into a life of peace and flight.

About Kintsugi Heroes

Kintsugi Heroes is an Australian not-for-profit (DGR endorsed) dedicated to strengthening mental wellbeing through the power of storytelling. We believe that lived experience is a gift to be shared, not a scar to be hidden.

Partner with Us

Align your organisation with resilience and social responsibility. Help us amplify voices that inspire change. https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/partners/

Donate

Your tax-deductible contribution helps us reach over 6 million Australians via community radio and continue sharing these vital stories. https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/donate/#donate

Connect With Us

1. Website: https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au
2. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kintsugi-heroes/
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4. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Kintsugi-Heroes-100084850387170/

1

Maryan Bova: Well, hello everyone, and welcome to the Grit Diaries, another wonderful jam-packed episode that we've got coming at you today. And welcome, Mon!

2

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Oh, thank you, Maz! Excited, can't wait to hear Julie Randall. This is going to be so exciting.

3

Maryan Bova: Look, we have an absolutely beautiful guest today. Her name is Julie Randall. How are you, Julie?

4

Julie Randall: I'm very well, thank you. Excited to be here.

5

Maryan Bova: Well, we've been waiting for… to sit down and have a conversation with you for some time, so I'm so grateful that we're here today. And I know that you have so much to share with this incredible audience, and…

6

Maryan Bova: You know, Julie's is a story of resilience. This is the Grit Diaries. She has gone through, you know, some pretty serious health challenges that we're going to unpack as we go. But for any of you listeners and viewers that have dealt with a serious health crisis.

7

Maryan Bova: And, this is one for you, especially when you're wanting a dose of inspiration and hope, when sometimes things feel like.

8

Maryan Bova: there's not much hope at all. So, with that, to share a little bit about Julie.

9

Maryan Bova: Julie is a mum of two gorgeous women now, and is actually a grandmother.

10

Maryan Bova: But at the time when, about tracing back about 13 years ago, Julie was sideswiped with stage 4 melanoma.

11

Maryan Bova: Through sheer tenacity, and I'll let her share, how she managed to get herself overseas, and why she managed to, with all tenacity and determination, got herself overseas. She managed to get herself on a trial for immunotherapy.

12

Maryan Bova: And, this is a story that it is gut-wrenching, and, but has…

13

Maryan Bova: clearly had a great outcome, because Julie is with us.

14

Maryan Bova: And, but it came with, you know, a big, big price tag for her to, to do all that she did to, really try everything that she humanly could to get well. Her book is called Patient 71. She's a keynote speaker, she's a coach, and everything in between. So, she featured on 60 Minutes,

15

Maryan Bova: I think it's about 5 or 8 years ago, Julie?

16

Julie Randall: Yeah.

17

Julie Randall: Yeah, they did a segment when I launched my book, yeah.

18

Maryan Bova: Yeah, and we'll put a, that in the show notes as well. It's really worth a watch for all of you to sort of go deeper into Julie's story. But with that, welcome, and thank you for being here.

19

Julie Randall: Yeah, thank you. Yeah, I've been looking forward to this.

20

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Yeah.

21

Maryan Bova: So, we just want to start, Julie, with sort of giving us a bit of a background of, you know, what life was like, you know, growing up, and what were sort of some key things that were important to you as you grew up, you know, the good, maybe some of the challenging things, but what's kind of helped shape your life as an adult, and maybe affected, you know, what was happening when you were going through your challenge?

22

Julie Randall: Yeah, look, I'm one of the extremely lucky ones. I had an amazing childhood. Grew up on the northern beaches, 5 kids.

23

Julie Randall: And a dog, mum and dad, and the grandmother, who was, like, our Alice from the Brady Bunch, lived with us. It was just… it was… I mean, obviously, you know, we… we had our fights, and as families do, but it was an absolutely amazing…

24

Julie Randall: upbringing, very sporty. I come from a very sporty family.

25

Julie Randall: Yeah, I couldn't… couldn't have asked for a better childhood, and I remember…

26

Julie Randall: somebody saying something to me one day about being unhappy, and I kind of looked at them and I said.

27

Julie Randall: Oh.

28

Julie Randall: I don't know how to be unhappy, you know?

29

Julie Randall: I only knew how to be happy. That's…

30

Julie Randall: how I was brought up. Yeah.

31

Maryan Bova: That's gold right there, isn't it?

32

Julie Randall: Yes and no. When the unhappiness and the hard stuff hits you.

33

Maryan Bova: Victor.

34

Julie Randall: It really hits you. True, true.

35

Maryan Bova: Yeah. So not having to deal with, you know, sort of any kind of significant adversity is such.

36

Julie Randall: You know, yeah, you know what, we didn't? The only thing I can remember…

37

Julie Randall: I can remember my father having an issue and having to go to hospital with something to do with his brain, but he recovered.

38

Julie Randall: And then the first hint of sadness or loss for us was.

39

Julie Randall: My grandpa died when he was 80.

40

Julie Randall: Of a heart attack, and that…

41

Julie Randall: And we were all fairly grown ourselves. I remember I was, like, 20 or maybe 21, and that's the first time that

42

Julie Randall: Any kind of grief really hit me.

43

Julie Randall: So, I think… I think that's, you know, I was very lucky.

44

Julie Randall: Yeah. Very lucky to have that long.

45

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Absolutely.

46

Julie Randall: Absolutely, that way.

47

Maryan Bova: And Julie, you mentioned that you were very sporty, that sports was a big part of your life. Just touching on that, and we've just had a conversation with someone else that was actually very much into the sports world.

48

Maryan Bova: And I'm just wondering what that was for you growing up, in terms of where that sat for you, and in hindsight, where that has helped you, in your life.

49

Julie Randall: Yeah, a lot.

50

Julie Randall: In a nutshell, I… my mother was a netball coach. She was a high-level netball coach, and she…

51

Julie Randall: Kind of lived and breathed it.

52

Julie Randall: And when I was little, really little, it was like, I used to go to all the netball carnivals and comps with her, and…

53

Julie Randall: That was me. I knew that was going to be me. I strive to get into the under 10s.

54

Julie Randall: rep netball team with Manly Waringa.

55

Julie Randall: And I did, and played reps. Might have missed out one or two years, but played reps right up until I was about 20 years old.

56

Julie Randall: And… it was kind of… Win or die.

57

Julie Randall: So…

58

Maryan Bova: Yeah, wow.

59

Julie Randall: There was no purple participation ribbon for me, it was…

60

Julie Randall: It was, I'm winning this thing, and if I didn't, I couldn't sleep.

61

Julie Randall: And couldn't wait to get back on the court to redeem myself, so,

62

Julie Randall: It did stare me in, good stead.

63

Julie Randall: Fair challenge, let's put it that way.

64

Maryan Bova: Yeah, and, you know, I think that's, you know, feeding into, you know, if we can actually sort of fast forward and sort of go there a little bit early in our conversation, because there's so much in it, and it's really worth spending that, you know, some significant time here.

65

Maryan Bova: what happened? How old were you? And tell us about that turning point, and how you even came to discover,

66

Maryan Bova: That you have melanoma.

67

Julie Randall: Okay, so… I was… just a little bit of background, I was just about to turn 50.

68

Julie Randall: and… was beside myself about that. Like, called it my 40th on the…

69

Julie Randall: invitations, because it was like, I'll just go on, and I'll be 4011, 4012, and I'll just… that'll be it. I'll never get to 50.

70

Julie Randall: With hindsight, that was the absolute least of my worries, you know? So… and…

71

Julie Randall: Just to step back a bit too, I'd transitioned from netball to touch football, in my early 20s, and then I lived and breathed touch football.

72

Julie Randall: And as did the rest of my siblings.

73

Julie Randall: I was training for a state level, like, a state of origin over 45 touch football tournament.

74

Julie Randall: So I was… feet.

75

Maryan Bova: Hmm.

76

Julie Randall: And I thought I was the fittest and healthiest I'd ever been.

77

Julie Randall: So I got over myself, and the 50th thing, had the party.

78

Julie Randall: Had a great time, dancing till, you know, 5 in the morning. And a few days later, I was driving to work.

79

Julie Randall: along the Waycurse Parkway, after going out on a massive run, because I was training.

80

Maryan Bova: Yep.

81

Julie Randall: And I distinctly remember driving along practicing gratitude, which is not something that I necessarily did on a regular basis, right?

82

Maryan Bova: Hmm.

83

Julie Randall: And I was thinking, oh, how lucky am I? It was a winter's day, but it was warm.

84

Julie Randall: Parkway was open, bonus.

85

Julie Randall: Yeah. And I was thanking the universe for my dog, and my kids, and my home, and…

86

Julie Randall: You name it. Even the husband, got a mention.

87

Julie Randall: Just to let you know what a good day it was, and…

88

Julie Randall: I'm off… I'm off to work.

89

Julie Randall: And I'm having a lunch.

90

Julie Randall: down by the Opera House this day. And I'm thinking, how good is life? Like, and no sooner had I got to work, it was like, let's go, you know, we're off down to lunch.

91

Julie Randall: And I remember just taking in the sights, and…

92

Julie Randall: looking at the blue sky, and looking at the opera house, and… and thinking, gosh, I'm gonna have lunch, I'm gonna go back, I'm gonna go home, my weekend's gonna start, because my weekend started on a Thursday. So, go out for lunch.

93

Julie Randall: Walk back up the street, Go back into my office, I worked in CBD.

94

Julie Randall: And in that moment, A work colleague said to me.

95

Julie Randall: What did you have for lunch?

96

Julie Randall: And I looked him in the eye.

97

Julie Randall: and something… really weird happened, and I said to him, Something like, no words.

98

Julie Randall: Can't find the words. And in that split second.

99

Julie Randall: I knew I was in big trouble.

100

Julie Randall: Instinctively, I thought, you are in trouble, Julie, right here, right now. And he walked me over, and sat me down on the couch in the foyer.

101

Julie Randall: And then I blacked out.

102

Julie Randall: And I woke up.

103

Julie Randall: And my head was hanging down, and the paramedics, like, I… like, I couldn't even open my eyes, and then when I did, the paramedics were just… I could see their boots.

104

Julie Randall: And I could see they had uniforms on, and they were saying, Julie, Julie, Julie, and I'm just staring, and then trying to ask me what day it was, and…

105

Julie Randall: And, it turns out I'd had a massive brain seizure.

106

Julie Randall: In the middle of my workplace. And, oh, in the foyer of my workplace, I guess. Just out of the blue like that.

107

Julie Randall: And, we'd, you know, we'd had Chinese food for lunch, and the paramedics

108

Julie Randall: you know, picked me up on the trolley, and as they were taking me out, I said, that's it, I'm never eating Chinese food again, you know?

109

Julie Randall: Trying to make light of it. These people were, like, I'm looking at them in the background, and they've all got their jaws dropped, all my work colleagues just, like, watching. So I made a joke, but, you know, in my head, I knew it was no joking matter.

110

Maryan Bova: Yeah, you knew it wasn't the Chinese, it was something else.

111

Julie Randall: Exactly. Exactly. So they take me to, st Vincent's Hospital?

112

Julie Randall: an emergency.

113

Julie Randall: And, you know, I arrived there, and then straight away, obviously, my husband had been alerted, and my kids, and they all arrive, and Scott's trying to tell me…

114

Julie Randall: you've had, you know, it's your birthday, you've just been partying too much, and you know, and I'm like, yeah, yeah, right, dull, but I just knew it wasn't that. So, 24 hours in an emergency, I mean, I've been taken up to a ward, and we had to wait. So that was a Thursday, this is a Friday.

115

Julie Randall: And I'm in, you know, in the hospital bed. Scott's sitting down at the foot of my bed. It was about 5.30, it's amazing how you remember distinctly remember these things.

116

Julie Randall: And I saw them coming. And when I say I saw them coming, I saw a doctor in the middle of a couple of interns either side, and I just saw the look on their face, and…

117

Julie Randall: I wanted to rewind them. You know, it was like a scene out of ER. They were going in slow motion, and I knew they were not coming to tell me good news.

118

Julie Randall: And they came, and they stood at the foot of my bed, and they said, Julie, you have tumors in your brain, both lungs, your pancreas, your liver, all of your lymph nodes.

119

Julie Randall: I'm sorry, this is not good news.

120

Maryan Bova: As if I thought it was.

121

Julie Randall: Anyhow, I… with that, I…

122

Julie Randall: the hospital going on. He's trying to talk and write out scripts and, you know, saying to my husband, you're not saying much.

123

Julie Randall: My husband said.

124

Maryan Bova: What the… do you want me to say? Yeah.

125

Julie Randall: Anyway, I took off.

126

Julie Randall: So, I'm up, out of the bed, and I bolted to the lift, and I was running for the hills.

127

Julie Randall: I didn't know where I was going. I didn't even know where the car was, obviously.

128

Maryan Bova: And…

129

Julie Randall: I just took off, and Scott's picking up.

130

Julie Randall: Things, and trying to grab scripts, and he followed me.

131

Julie Randall: And… We get down in the car, and we get in the car, Silence?

132

Julie Randall: On both our parts.

133

Julie Randall: And we're driving through the city, this is a Friday night, and…

134

Julie Randall: One of my biggest memories was pulling up with some lights, And watching…

135

Julie Randall: People, you know, city workers, hanging out of the bars.

136

Julie Randall: drinking beers, Having fun, rehearsing for their weekend.

137

Julie Randall: And in my mind, I'm rehearsing how to tell my teenage daughters their mother was dying.

138

Julie Randall: I'll never forget that, as long as I live.

139

Julie Randall: And we got home, And… everything felt different. My place…

140

Julie Randall: Wasn't the same, it didn't smell the same, it was… Just…

141

Julie Randall: like, a different place, and I didn't know what to do, so I went up to my bedroom and

142

Julie Randall: Laid on my bed.

143

Julie Randall: And then… I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

144

Julie Randall: And, I knew by each child which one it was.

145

Julie Randall: And I'm gonna get emotional, because I always do.

146

Maryan Bova: And, it's okay.

147

Julie Randall: My eldest daughter.

148

Julie Randall: walked in, and I said,

149

Julie Randall: I'm really sorry, Morgan, I have cancer. And without telling her…

150

Julie Randall: the gory details, and she just started wailing, and she said, no, Mum, no, no. And then,

151

Julie Randall: My other little one.

152

Julie Randall: Came up and just silently sobbed in my chest.

153

Julie Randall: And…

154

Julie Randall: To see your children in pain like that, I just said, hey, I'm gonna fix this. I'm not gonna die, I promise.

155

Julie Randall: Boom!

156

Julie Randall: And then a little monster jumped in my head and said.

157

Julie Randall: How are you gonna do that? That's a big promise. And I'm like, whoa, well, the words have come out now, and my kids…

158

Julie Randall: you know, were bought up, and I was brought up, that if you made a promise, you kept it.

159

Julie Randall: So I was gonna do everything in my power to keep that promise, and

160

Julie Randall: Yeah, that started the ball rolling.

161

Maryan Bova: Julie, your share. I think that's the first time I think I've actually sort of teared up in one of these conversations, and really appreciate you being.

162

Julie Randall: Thank you.

163

Maryan Bova: Go in.

164

Julie Randall: It never gets easy.

165

Maryan Bova: No, no, no. And it's…

166

Maryan Bova: you know, I mean, it's devastating enough to get news like that, and also the delivery of that news, in the way that it's delivered.

167

Julie Randall: Yep.

168

Maryan Bova: Really affect us in a…

169

Maryan Bova: A way of, you know, giving us a bit of determination, and we can do this, and sometimes it can…

170

Maryan Bova: you know, really, sort of, affect…

171

Julie Randall: People the other way, yeah.

172

Maryan Bova: I think then where I see what really impacted you was experiencing your children's reaction.

173

Maryan Bova: And in hindsight, I know you and I have had a few conversations, that, as you say, that those words just sort of fell out of your mouth, and how important those words were. I'm gonna fix this.

174

Maryan Bova: Yeah, and how that actually really helped to shape

175

Maryan Bova: And be such a… almost a mantra.

176

Maryan Bova: In a sense, for you doing everything that you did from here on in.

177

Julie Randall: Yeah, it absolutely did. Yeah, in a split second, those words were spoken, and then it was…

178

Julie Randall: Okay, here we go.

179

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: So we might… this is a good… good moment to pause, and head into…

180

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: One of your chosen songs, I think.

181

Maryan Bova: Lost Stars.

182

Maryan Bova: by Adam Levine?

183

Julie Randall: Yeah, he does a good version of it. I like his version of it.

184

Maryan Bova: What's… how is this song important to you? I mean, we can imagine, but what…

185

Julie Randall: It was a song, that I discovered in America. I love music. My husband and I love music. Music's a huge thing in our life.

186

Julie Randall: And it just talks about… That we were all basically

187

Julie Randall: Stars trying to light up the dark.

188

Julie Randall: By making people's life better, you know, as much as we can. Even if it's just our loved ones and our friends and our family, I kind of feel if that's…

189

Julie Randall: If that's how we live life.

190

Julie Randall: Then, if everybody did that.

191

Maryan Bova: Yeah.

192

Maryan Bova: Love it.

193

Julie Randall: Good would the well be, right?

194

Maryan Bova: Beautiful.

195

Julie Randall: I just… I just loved the song, and it meant a lot to me when I was in America, because I was alone.

196

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Hello, good.

197

Maryan Bova: I'll tell you more about.

198

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Yeah.

199

Maryan Bova: Well, we look forward to hearing more, and let's go to the song. Awesome.

200

Maryan Bova: And we are metaphorically going to the… to the song while we are here. Thank you, Julie, that's amazing, that's amazing.

201

Maryan Bova: Alright.

202

Maryan Bova: Okay Okay, so we'll go back in. So, beautiful song, thank you, thank you so much, Julie.

203

Maryan Bova: Okay, so we're back with Julie Randall, known as Patient 71, published the book by that title, and her journey as she discovers that she, had no idea but developed, stage 4 melanoma, metastatic melanoma.

204

Maryan Bova: So if we can just go back and, and… What… you uttered the words, to your girls.

205

Maryan Bova: I'm gonna fix this.

206

Maryan Bova: And then, what happened from that point onwards? Because I believe that there was a, a trial happening over in the US. I mean, I'm sure you probably explored what was available here as your treatment options.

207

Maryan Bova: What led you to the US?

208

Julie Randall: Okay, so… That was a little bit of a while before that even happened, because So…

209

Julie Randall: Okay, so I had to… I went on chemotherapy. I really did not want to do that, but melanoma travels fast.

210

Maryan Bova: Hmm.

211

Julie Randall: really fast. You haven't got time to muck around.

212

Julie Randall: And… so I had to go on chemotherapy. That was only going to give me…

213

Julie Randall: I think it was something like a 10% chance of holding back the tide. It was never a cure.

214

Julie Randall: I knew it was never a cure.

215

Julie Randall: And… but… but I needed… I needed time.

216

Julie Randall: And… So I had to go on chemo, and… Lost my, you know… My hair, my…

217

Julie Randall: you know, everything but eyebrows, eyelashes, but it took a lot from me, but I just wouldn't let it take my spirit.

218

Maryan Bova: I just wouldn't.

219

Maryan Bova: So…

220

Julie Randall: I went on the chemo, and…

221

Julie Randall: And it did… it did work for me, so, I mean, I… I had a bit of luck along the way, I've got to say.

222

Maryan Bova: Hmm.

223

Julie Randall: And…

224

Julie Randall: we went to the doctors one day, and just… just to check in, all the while, I'm thinking, this, you know, I know this isn't gonna save me, you know, what am I going to do? So, we go to the doctor, and he…

225

Julie Randall: Scott says… I think Scott said to him, how long is this going to be working for, Doc?

226

Julie Randall: It is a good Aussie, blokey kind of way. And the doctor said.

227

Julie Randall: I'll put it this way, you know, it won't be working in…

228

Julie Randall: 3 months, or let's say it was October or November, just like that.

229

Maryan Bova: Wow.

230

Julie Randall: And I'm, like, looking down at the… Yeah, I'm just, like, looking down at the Lino floor, I'll never forget it, and I said, well, if you think I'm gonna hang around and wait for that to happen, you've got another thing coming.

231

Julie Randall: You're not…

232

Julie Randall: And, I think… I think Scott was who says he was forever apologizing for me as I left… walked out the door. Sorry about her. Anyway,

233

Julie Randall: We did… we did say to him, oh, is there any trials? You know, is there anything happening overseas or anywhere? And he said, well, yeah, there's a few things going on. And Scott said, can you tip us in, Doc? And he said… and he said, no, you're on your own.

234

Maryan Bova: Wow!

235

Julie Randall: Yeah. He said, oh, you know, there's…

236

Julie Randall: there's a few things happening, but basically, you have to do that yourself. And it was like.

237

Julie Randall: such a letdown, like, the medical system's kind of let me, you know, let me down, so I was feisty, I was angry, I was crying and screaming and carrying on on the way home.

238

Julie Randall: But as soon as I got home, I just went into research mode.

239

Julie Randall: Got on the computer, started looking up advanced metastatic melanoma, and after,

240

Julie Randall: You know, it took me a few hours, and… oh, actually, before that, I just wanted to find someone who'd survived it.

241

Julie Randall: I thought, if I can just…

242

Julie Randall: You know, have a mentor and a hero.

243

Julie Randall: Yeah, yeah, just someone, and that's all I needed, and there was no one.

244

Julie Randall: No one at all, not a soul in the world, that I could find. And it turns out.

245

Julie Randall: It probably wasn't. You know, the…

246

Julie Randall: I think I'm it. But, or there might have been one or two in America, or on their way too, I don't know. So…

247

Julie Randall: what become… Crystal clear to me was.

248

Julie Randall: You have to be the one.

249

Julie Randall: to do this for people that are following you. You have to be your own hero, and then you have to be the hero that people are going to look up to. You know, I don't know, I just… something took over me. I became quite philosophical and strong, and…

250

Julie Randall: So then I came across this trial in Portland, Oregon.

251

Julie Randall: And it was a clinical trial working with the immune system, and it was only for basically stage 4 advanced melanoma patients that were gonna die.

252

Julie Randall: Anyway, because…

253

Julie Randall: they didn't want to be responsible for killing people that weren't going to die anyway, which I get. And so then I started my campaign to get into the trial, and called them up, and they're a little bit bemused that this middle-aged Aussie woman was, you know, calling up.

254

Julie Randall: And they sort of sounded semi-interested, and then I just… for three and a half months, I just got no after no, setback after setback, no, you're not American. No, you're not in our medical system.

255

Julie Randall: No, what if you die here? And then the final clanger was, we're really sorry, the drug companies closed off the trial at 70 patients.

256

Maryan Bova: Hmm.

257

Julie Randall: And I just didn't let go. And I may or may not have read the Hippocratic Oath over the phone to somebody.

258

Julie Randall: And… A few days later, I got a phone call, and they basically said,

259

Julie Randall: What time would you like your appointment with Dr. Erber, who's the… And I'm on the hood.

260

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Amazing. What?

261

Julie Randall: Stop.

262

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: story. What's the Hippocratic Oath, for those who don't know?

263

Julie Randall: Okay, so the Hippocratic Oath, in layman's terms, is…

264

Julie Randall: A note that doctors take to say.

265

Julie Randall: If I have something that can help you, or if I can help you, I am obliged to do so.

266

Julie Randall: No matter what.

267

Julie Randall: No matter what your race, your creed. And I'm like, I'm not dying because I'm not American. Sorry.

268

Maryan Bova: Yeah.

269

Julie Randall: It's not a good enough reason.

270

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Yeah. Love it.

271

Julie Randall: And, so… Then, it wasn't until I was over there that,

272

Julie Randall: they said to me… they invited me out, and then they said, you do know your patient's 71, don't you? And we were never supposed to accept you, and…

273

Julie Randall: You just wouldn't let go, you would… and they… they would openly say that. You just, yeah, wouldn't let go, you wouldn't give up. That's great.

274

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: and resilience.

275

Julie Randall: I love it, I love it.

276

Julie Randall: And I'm just thinking.

277

Maryan Bova: Just to your point, and what you're talking about there for the listeners, and the viewers, is…

278

Maryan Bova: whatever is happening in your life, whether it's something as intense as what, you know, you've been going through, Julie, whether or not it's, you know, just in a work situation, or you have a dream, a goal, or, you know, whatever it is, when it's something in you.

279

Maryan Bova: it's part of the journey, is having to wade through the no's, the no's, the no's, the fears, whether they're your own fears or they're fears of other people. What limitations other people have around what

280

Maryan Bova: is really important to you. And it's knowing that that is almost part of the journey, and, you know, by rights, what you managed to create, you know, it did take a lot of determination, and without your determination, without that

281

Maryan Bova: Key words that fumbled out of… just fell out of your mouth.

282

Maryan Bova: I'm gonna fix this. Maybe without, you know, that, you know, in your sporting days, you know, it's… it's win or lose. It's one or the other. We're not doing purple ribbons here. Yeah, no problem.

283

Maryan Bova: Yeah, you can see the linkage between the whole.

284

Julie Randall: Absolutely, and I mean, you literally have to take something that's really, really important to you.

285

Julie Randall: As if it's life and death.

286

Maryan Bova: Mmm, yeah.

287

Julie Randall: Because…

288

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Taste it.

289

Julie Randall: Because if it's not, you're gonna go, oh, well… Oh, well.

290

Maryan Bova: Yes.

291

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Yep.

292

Julie Randall: Yep. So, I mean, I've… I've taken that now into the future as well.

293

Maryan Bova: And.

294

Julie Randall: Yeah.

295

Julie Randall: Yeah, and it's worked for me in,

296

Julie Randall: In a lot of ways, it's just like, oh, there's just no such thing as… give up. And it's…

297

Julie Randall: in my subconscious, it's always in my DNA now.

298

Maryan Bova: Yes. Yes.

299

Julie Randall: I can't… even if it's dragging me down, even if it's, like, everything's telling me, just give this up, it's not happening at the moment, I can't!

300

Maryan Bova: Yeah.

301

Julie Randall: Yeah. It's.

302

Maryan Bova: I think, like we've talked about, it's almost like a little cork, you know, it gets pulled down, but eventually, you know, when that little desire, that dream, or whatever it is, you know, people are pursuing, it just bobs up.

303

Julie Randall: Yes!

304

Maryan Bova: And it'll just annoy you until you actually do something with it, because it wants to be free, and it wants to be doing what that thing does. And, you know, every time we pull it down, all it wants to do is just come back up.

305

Julie Randall: Yep.

306

Maryan Bova: Oh, amazing. I know we've got more to unpack on that, but I know that you have your next song.

307

Maryan Bova: Live like you're dying.

308

Julie Randall: Yeah, so it's a, it's a great song, Live Like You Are Dying.

309

Julie Randall: Tim McGraw.

310

Julie Randall: totally resonates with me, and I think everybody will understand why. It's about a guy getting a diagnosis.

311

Maryan Bova: And…

312

Julie Randall: been… Just taking off, and…

313

Julie Randall: Skydiving, and doing all those things that he always wanted to do. And it's one of my messages, too, it's like…

314

Julie Randall: Don't wait till you get that diagnosis.

315

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Hmm.

316

Maryan Bova: live like you're eyeing now. And I know that can be a little bit… sound a little bit simplistic, and…

317

Julie Randall: You know, you don't have to go running… running around every day doing those things, but, you know, make plans to do them. Make sure they're…

318

Julie Randall: They're… in the not-too-distant future, because, like, none of us know what

319

Julie Randall: what is going to happen, and I've, you know, certainly learnt that the hard way.

320

Julie Randall: And… Yeah, so this… I just love this song so much.

321

Maryan Bova: Well, let's go into this song, Live Like You're Dying.

322

Julie Randall: Yep.

323

Maryan Bova: Great.

324

Maryan Bova: Oh, my gosh, I'm just getting goosebumps the whole time, Julie.

325

Maryan Bova: A really, really generous share that you've got going for us.

326

Maryan Bova: Alright, so I think we can just go into, you know, a little bit, you know, just what that journey was like, because I think… Sim, how are we going for time?

327

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: We've got about another 15 max.

328

Maryan Bova: 15 minutes? Okay, so…

329

Julie Randall: I can sort of, wrap, you know.

330

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: What's your clock?

331

Maryan Bova: Yep, another 5 or something on, you know, a little bit about that journey and how you came back to Australia. Yep.

332

Julie Randall: And write the book and all that sort of stuff.

333

Maryan Bova: Yep, yep, and feel free to mention that you're on 60 Minutes, all that kind of stuff, go for it. Yeah. And then if we spend the last, sort of, 7-odd minutes or so on, your nuggets of wisdom…

334

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Yeah, license, yeah.

335

Maryan Bova: Awesome, alright. Okay, well, welcome back, everyone, to the Grit Dose. We have the wonderful Julie Randall here with, myself and Mon.

336

Maryan Bova: And we're hearing her story of how she beat stage 4 metastatic melanoma. She's just… Julie's just unpacked how she ended up being patient 71 on a trial in the US.

337

Maryan Bova: Through sheer determination.

338

Maryan Bova: So, Julie, let us in on what was happening after that, and what were some sort of key things that happened on that trajectory moving forwards from that moment.

339

Julie Randall: Okay, so…

340

Julie Randall: that was, like, a bomb hit. Even though I'd been asking for it and begging for it, it's like.

341

Julie Randall: I'm going now, you know, I've got to go, and I think I had, I don't know, a few weeks, maybe four, I can't remember. But one of the stipulations was to give up the chemotherapy, right? So I was… I was still on it. They wanted out of my system. It was in my system when I got there.

342

Julie Randall: They didn't want me to.

343

Julie Randall: So, I didn't tell anyone.

344

Julie Randall: Because… People would have thought I would…

345

Maryan Bova: Clarify, it was immunotherapy, yeah.

346

Julie Randall: That I was going to? Yeah, that I was going over to, so it was immunotherapy, and I can explain a little bit more about that, too.

347

Julie Randall: However, that, yeah, so they made, they said you have to give up your chemo.

348

Julie Randall: So… I would tend to…

349

Maryan Bova: What's not fun.

350

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Oh, you pretended.

351

Julie Randall: I pretended I was going. I pretended I was… I pretended I was going to my whole family, my husband.

352

Julie Randall: But I wasn't going.

353

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: to chemo.

354

Julie Randall: No.

355

Julie Randall: And so I think someone had dropped me off at the hospital, or whatever, and

356

Julie Randall: I would just go, oh, thank you, and I'll catch the… get the bus home. I've always been really independent that way, and I really didn't want people watching me going through that either, so I'd already set that platform, so they didn't think it was weird that they weren't coming with me.

357

Julie Randall: And I know a lot of people, you know, would have thought I was, you know, BS crazy, because this was keeping me alive right now.

358

Maryan Bova: Hmm, hmm.

359

Julie Randall: But I knew… In my gut, it was… Short-term pain for long-term gain.

360

Julie Randall: And I had to just do it, and I did it.

361

Maryan Bova: Hmm.

362

Julie Randall: And by the time I got to America, I had…

363

Julie Randall: Bumps and tumors coming out of my… arms, and… yeah, so…

364

Julie Randall: So I… we packed up to go, to come.

365

Julie Randall: and to go to America, and… My eldest daughter was…

366

Julie Randall: A dance teacher at the time, and she couldn't come, and she was only 19.

367

Julie Randall: I mean, that's young, right? We had to leave her.

368

Maryan Bova: And.

369

Julie Randall: This is another thing.

370

Julie Randall: So we had to leave her on her own.

371

Julie Randall: Shut up.

372

Julie Randall: And, A baby.

373

Julie Randall: I was 16, she was doing a HSC.

374

Julie Randall: And she was… they were gonna stay together.

375

Julie Randall: But the night before, she said,

376

Julie Randall: I can't stay here without your mum, you know, and dad. So, he got… we went to Portland, Oregon. I don't think I've mentioned Portland, Oregon. That's where the clinical trial was.

377

Julie Randall: And he was on one computer booking her flight to LA, and I was on the other computer booking her flight to Portland.

378

Julie Randall: And she came with us the next day, and then I spent a lot of my time there calling her teachers in Australia and making sure she was getting the work done, and over my dead body was she not gonna get her HSC because of

379

Julie Randall: Me and my illness.

380

Julie Randall: So she came, yeah, she came over for a few weeks.

381

Julie Randall: And I had to… to leave my other daughter, and it was just…

382

Julie Randall: So hard, I can't tell you.

383

Maryan Bova: But staying alive for them was more important than… Yeah.

384

Julie Randall: than anything, and I'd promised that, so… I just had to keep… Tunnel vision around that.

385

Julie Randall: And… Yeah, so I got over there, and I had to, I went on the immunotherapy.

386

Julie Randall: So it's… so immunotherapy is a drug that sits on your T cells and teaches

387

Julie Randall: your immune system to fight the cancer. So…

388

Julie Randall: The drug itself does not kill or fight the cancer. It teaches your body.

389

Maryan Bova: To fight the cancer, which is…

390

Julie Randall: So amazing and miraculous, and to me, how much sense did that make?

391

Maryan Bova: Hmm.

392

Julie Randall: You know, it just made a lot of sense to me.

393

Julie Randall: I'm a nurse.

394

Maryan Bova: And that is the best explanation, thank you, and I think that that… the layperson can connect with that, so thank you.

395

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: I understand.

396

Julie Randall: Yeah, pleasure. So…

397

Julie Randall: it was slow for me. You know, I wanted to get over there, I wanted to go and have an infusion, and then to go, bye-bye, see ya, you can go home now, everything's fine. That didn't happen. I had to stay for 6 weeks before I could even have a scan, and then when I had a scan, it was…

398

Julie Randall: Your tumors have shrunk.

399

Julie Randall: 0.00 something.

400

Maryan Bova: Thank you.

401

Julie Randall: And I'm like, But hey, they hadn't grown.

402

Julie Randall: And… Hey, we'd made some progress.

403

Maryan Bova: Hmm.

404

Julie Randall: So, we were there for… Total, I was there for about 9 or 10 months.

405

Julie Randall: In that time, my husband's…

406

Julie Randall: flying back and forth, trying to look after the girls, trying to look… run a business and look after me. It was just, like, chaotic, and then he'd come over to me, and…

407

Julie Randall: they'd ring me for arguing in Australia. Like, I could sort out the argument from where I was, and…

408

Julie Randall: I remember my little one saying, you said you weren't going to take Dad back there, and it's like, I wanted him to come back for when I was getting results, and, you know, so he was torn apart.

409

Maryan Bova: Hmm.

410

Julie Randall: And, and finally, what we did was, this was a bit of a… another clandestine situation.

411

Julie Randall: he found… you know, the drug company doesn't know my name, right? I'm patient 71, that's all I am.

412

Maryan Bova: Yes.

413

Julie Randall: Scott managed to get ahold of a business card of someone from the drug company.

414

Julie Randall: Oh. So he started emailing them, saying, you know my wife as Patient71, but her name is…

415

Julie Randall: And she is a mother, and she is this, and she's that.

416

Julie Randall: And,

417

Julie Randall: Yeah, my doctor, who I suspect he's retired now, so I can say this, may have pushed the card towards my husband.

418

Maryan Bova: I love it.

419

Julie Randall: Gone into a lot of trouble. How did these people get our names? You're not supposed to get their names, but once he had told

420

Julie Randall: Once he had it said.

421

Julie Randall: my wife's a person, she's from Australia, she…

422

Julie Randall: they started Wheels in Motion, sort of unbeknown to us, and I flew home.

423

Julie Randall: at one point, I flew home a couple of times, unbeknownst to the doctors, to see my kids. I wasn't allowed to, but I just turned up back in the chair for the next, oh, what did you turn the last week? Oh, nothing much, nothing much.

424

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: I think you should be called Julie Rover, not Randall.

425

Julie Randall: Julie…

426

Maryan Bova: Driver under the radar.

427

Julie Randall: Yeah. So, this time we came home, and I… it was… it had been going on for a long time, and I was really, really over it, and but I had to keep going. My doctor said I had to keep going.

428

Julie Randall: And this one morning, My husband…

429

Julie Randall: he got up to go to work, and he's… I'm booking a flight back to America today, and at this point, no more money. He can't come back, I can't come back home.

430

Maryan Bova: This is it, I gotta go. And I'm like.

431

Julie Randall: I'm not going, I'm not going, and he's like, you're going, I'm booking your flight, and I remember, you know, running downstairs, and as he walked out the door, I just hurled something at the… like, I was really, really angry. And he's like.

432

Julie Randall: you're going, you know you gotta go. And I knew I had to go.

433

Maryan Bova: Yep.

434

Julie Randall: Then I flicked on the, kettle, as you do, and then I opened my computer.

435

Julie Randall: And there was an email there, and it says.

436

Julie Randall: Hello, Julie. Your next infusion of nivolumab is at the Marta Hospital at Crow's Nest in Sydney.

437

Julie Randall: And so, he… He had got through to whoever he had to get through to, and…

438

Julie Randall: I came home, the drug came home.

439

Julie Randall: And, yeah, so I was on… I was on the drug for…

440

Julie Randall: A long time here, a few years, probably 4 or 5 years.

441

Maryan Bova: Yes.

442

Julie Randall: And then… During the chemo days, when I was…

443

Julie Randall: lying in bed, and I, I went into menopause. I was on some sort of breast cancer drug mixed with something else that threw me into menopause.

444

Julie Randall: I wasn't told about it. And so I'm sweating and carrying on, and…

445

Julie Randall: I started examining, you know, my life.

446

Maryan Bova: So far.

447

Julie Randall: And I was like, if I'm to leave this planet, Soon.

448

Julie Randall: Have I lived my best life? Have I…

449

Julie Randall: Have I lived to my full potential? Have I explored my talents, and have I given enough?

450

Julie Randall: to the world? Have I given it? And it was so reflective, and…

451

Julie Randall: Then I just said, hey, Mrs. Universe, If you…

452

Julie Randall: get me through this. If we get through this together, I promise… I will live…

453

Julie Randall: to my potential. I will write a book.

454

Julie Randall: never even good at… was in the lowest class at English. I will write a book, I will get on stage, I will inspire people, I will…

455

Julie Randall: I don't care how many people are in the room, you know, all of this stuff, and I made another bunch of promises, right?

456

Julie Randall: So… After coming home from America, And…

457

Julie Randall: not relaxing because I couldn't relax, and my life was never going to be the same. I tried to live the same life for a while.

458

Julie Randall: wasn't going to be the same. And then this voice was, you know, started popping into my head on a daily basis. Hey, remember you promised that if you got through this, and you came home, you wrote a book? And I'm like.

459

Julie Randall: Yeah, but, you know…

460

Julie Randall: Are you joking? You know, I can't write a book, you know? It's like, no, you promised.

461

Julie Randall: So…

462

Maryan Bova: Love it.

463

Julie Randall: Yeah, so I had no choice.

464

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Wow.

465

Julie Randall: Yeah, so one day, I just sat down and I wrote out the date that it started.

466

Julie Randall: It was… Thursday, the 21st of June, 2012.

467

Julie Randall: Hey.

468

Julie Randall: And on I went, and on, and on, and on, 320 pages.

469

Julie Randall: And, you know… It felt like home.

470

Julie Randall: I'd never written a thing in my life, and…

471

Julie Randall: I just loved it. It just felt like…

472

Julie Randall: this is what you're supposed to be doing, girl. And.

473

Maryan Bova: Did it feel cathartic as you were writing it, to kind of just put it all into one space and actually.

474

Julie Randall: Oh, it did, yeah.

475

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: I think, massively.

476

Julie Randall: There are a lot of tears.

477

Maryan Bova: You know, I did keep, like.

478

Julie Randall: A journal of sorts?

479

Julie Randall: when I was going through it.

480

Maryan Bova: Hmm.

481

Julie Randall: More, like, points and things that had happened, and it…

482

Julie Randall: it just flowed. And I remember getting to page, chapter 20,

483

Julie Randall: And I wasn't in Portland yet.

484

Julie Randall: I hadn't even arrived in Poland, but all those things prior to that were important to be said. You know, they had to be said.

485

Julie Randall: And… Yeah.

486

Julie Randall: All the while, the voices in my head saying, no one's going to read this, people, you know, all of those things that you get when you go… lift out of your comfort zone.

487

Julie Randall: And I'm like, you know, but by that stage, interestingly, I was awake up to those voices.

488

Maryan Bova: Because…

489

Julie Randall: when I was about, you know, going to go to America, I'd all… you know, the voices were saying.

490

Julie Randall: But hang on, what if you die over there? You know, what if you spend your last few months over there and you're not going to be with your children?

491

Julie Randall: And I would cry, you know, I would cry when I would hear that.

492

Julie Randall: voice saying that. But then I… then I sort of realized that Yeah, it's… it's…

493

Julie Randall: your voice is… that's just trying to keep you in your, you know, your comfort zone, and it doesn't owe any better. It's a prehistoric voice, you know.

494

Julie Randall: And so then I learned to dance with that voice, so I call it dancing with the monsters, and go, oh, hang on, okay, I know you're trying to keep me safe, but…

495

Julie Randall: I really need to go and do that, so I can come back. And it's sort of a way of just quietening down that voice when you just…

496

Julie Randall: Come back and explain.

497

Julie Randall: And have a little conversation with it. It's a bit weird, but I'm a Gemini, and I talk to myself anyway. So.

498

Maryan Bova: And I love that you point that out, and I know Sim has a name for hers, the one that's sort of hippo, that it can be crushing.

499

Julie Randall: Yeah. They're always not.

500

Maryan Bova: And, you know, I think you are the epitome of someone that has a lot at stake if you chose to go into the fear voice, and that was the one that won.

501

Julie Randall: Yes.

502

Maryan Bova: lot at stake. It wasn't like, oh, well, I'll just miss a business opportunity, or I'll maybe, I don't know, not get that job, or I might not go to the gym, or something like that. You have a lot at stake. My gosh, there is so much more that I would absolutely love to be here and unpack more, and I think, you know, with

503

Maryan Bova: Gratefully already, you know, heard some of your incredible nuggets of wisdom.

504

Maryan Bova: Is there anything that you would really want the viewers to really take home from your journey? And I just really want to point out that you are the one that now everybody points to, as the one that survived. And thankfully, because of you, if I understand correctly.

505

Maryan Bova: You doing what you did was instrumental in getting immunotherapy out here a bit earlier than maybe it would have.

506

Julie Randall: Yeah, I'm really careful about claiming anything around that. It would have always… you know.

507

Maryan Bova: It probably comes with chores, but yeah.

508

Julie Randall: Joy and Levi? Yes.

509

Julie Randall: Yeah.

510

Maryan Bova: We certainly have a lot of people in our world that are going through

511

Maryan Bova: stage 4 melanoma that are going through immunotherapy, and, you know, I know that you're an absolute inspiration to those as well. So, when… a quick question. When did you actually find out that, because it was metastatic, it was in through all the different organs of your body?

512

Julie Randall: Oh…

513

Maryan Bova: get a PET scan that… Kinda showed up that were…

514

Julie Randall: Well, they knew from all the scans in hospital.

515

Julie Randall: I knew from the get-go.

516

Julie Randall: That whatever I had, so I didn't know it was melanoma then, right?

517

Julie Randall: Cause…

518

Julie Randall: I only knew it was cancer, and it was a couple of weeks before I… I found out it was… it was melanoma.

519

Julie Randall: But yeah, and then it wasn't until I was on 60 Minutes

520

Julie Randall: that I actually got the PET scan, that showed…

521

Julie Randall: that I was clear, all clear.

522

Julie Randall: That, that I was, you know, cured.

523

Maryan Bova: The big, the big C word.

524

Julie Randall: Yeah.

525

Maryan Bova: Amazing.

526

Julie Randall: Yeah.

527

Julie Randall: So I think just, yeah, just a final note, my message for people would, you know, is what we've discussed today. It's, you know, don't wait till you're dying to start living. Truly living.

528

Julie Randall: It, you know, exploring…

529

Julie Randall: your purpose, some people's… I believe we all have one. 8.2 billion of us on the planet, we're all completely different, different DNA, different fingerprints. We've all got something to give.

530

Julie Randall: some bigger than others that have bigger voices in their head to do more than others, but, I think peace is when

531

Julie Randall: Peace comes when you are… living your purpose, and… and giving, you know, sharing your God-given talents, and… yeah.

532

Julie Randall: Beautiful. People happy, yep.

533

Maryan Bova: Amazing. Wow. Thank you so much, Julie. Mom, was there anything else that you'd like to add before we wrap up and finish with the song?

534

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Julie, thank you so much for your time. You're so… you're such a… you definitely should be called the Roving Randall.

535

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: with your… just… fire, just your sense of commitment to what you say you're gonna do, you do. And such an encouraging… some words of

536

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Yeah, if you are out there listening, and you have been given a really tough diagnosis, it's just lovely to hear your mindset around it, and you're here today, you know what, 13 years later, and you're a grandmother now, so…

537

Julie Randall: You caught yours.

538

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: You've seen so much more of your life because of your resilience and your, your, you know, your strength and tenacity. So, yeah, it's so lovely to hear your story, and yeah, just thank you so much for your time on Grit Diaries.

539

Julie Randall: Thank you, my pleasure.

540

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Yeah. Beautiful.

541

Maryan Bova: Alright, so we're going to go at, I think, very appropriate song. Thank you, Julie. Life's Too Short by Daryl Hall and John Oates. Have I got it right? John Oates?

542

Julie Randall: Yeah, yeah, holidays!

543

Maryan Bova: No, Holo Notes, Holo Notes.

544

Julie Randall: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

545

Julie Randall: Yeah, or…

546

Maryan Bova: But we're gonna go out on that note. Julie, thank you so much. There'll be, lots of notes there in the, in the show notes, if you want to, purchase Julie's book, see her on 60 Minutes, and, connect with her. And fabulous. Okay, wonderful. Thank you, Julie.

547

Julie Randall: Thank you for having me. Bye.

548

Simone Allan ( Mon) Grit Diaries: Bye.

549

Maryan Bova: Bye.