













By Mark Hansel

NKyTribune contributor

Julie Randolph knew she would lose her battle with cancer, but from the time she was diagnosed, she was determined to fight the disease long enough to attend her daughter’s graduation.

In recent weeks, however, Julie’s condition has deteriorated. It became clear her two-year battle was coming to an end and she was unlikely to survive until the May graduation ceremony.

Now, thanks to the efforts of members of a small Northern Kentucky community, Julie will realize her dream. Gracie Randolph will receive her diploma Tuesday night, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m. in a special ceremony at Bellevue High School.

Julie will be there, along with about 200 other family members, friends, classmates and teachers from this close-knit community nestled along the Ohio River.

Randolph has difficulty speaking because of her illness, but she wanted to let the community know how much the ceremony means to her.

“It’s just great the way so many people have come together to make this happen,” Julie Randolph said.

By the time Randolph, 48, was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in January of 2013, the disease had already metastasized, spreading throughout her body to her liver, hips and spine.

“I blame my own stupidity for ignoring the warning signs,” Randolph said. “If there is one message I can send to people, it’s to get checked right away if you think something is wrong.”

Doctors told her early on that the cancer was incurable and that there were treatments that could extend her life, but she was not expected to live another year.

Randolph set three goals that, at the time, seemed almost impossible.

She wanted to live to 50 years old, see Gracie turn 18, which will happen in April of this year, and see her daughter graduate.

Randolph drove a car until last summer and, until recently, continued to work as a supervisor of collections for Tri-Health, just as she has for 30 years.

She also received two types of chemotherapy, including one that was administered through a port in her head. and it seemed for a time she would defy the odds.

Late last month, however, she finally had to stop working and hospice was called in to the Foote Street home to make her comfortable in her final days.

Despite her remarkable efforts, which included refusing any type of pain medication, it appeared cancer was going to prevent Julie from achieving the goals set when she was diagnosed.

When Kathy Riley, youth service center coordinator for Bellevue High School learned of the decline in Julie’s condition, she was determined to make at least one of those dreams come true.

Riley has been at Bellevue High School for 14 years and has been a strong supporter of the Randolph family throughout the illness.

“When we heard hospice was called in, we knew Julie was probably not going to make it to graduation in May,” Riley said. “That’s when we began to plan this special ceremony.”

Riley got permission from the school’s principal, David Eckstein and Superintendent Robb Smith, both of whom embraced the idea, and started to organize the event.

As word began to spread, as it does quickly in small towns, the effort snowballed.

“I started to get texts and emails from people in the community, teachers, and former teachers,” Riley said. “People began to pull together and everyone was saying they would do anything they could to help.”

In less than a week, the plan to organize a small event turned into a full-fledged ceremony that could surpass the formal graduation in May in attendance.

Dr. David Draper, Julie’s oncologist, will be the keynote speaker and 30 of the 44 students in Gracie’s graduating class plan to attend. The number would be even higher but both the girls and boys basketball teams have games scheduled that night and seniors on those teams won’t be able to make it.

It’s not clear yet which member of the graduating class will be valedictorian, so all three girls who are in the running have agreed to give a speech.

“They got together and decided each one of them would focus on a different topic,” Riley said.

Gracie, who will receive a diploma with the May graduation date, will also speak.

“The school has just been so great about everything,” she said. “My mom is the bravest person I know and it means so much that everyone has pulled together to make this happen for her.”

Mary Groneck, who has been Gracie’s friend and classmate since the third grade, said she is not surprised the community has responded in this way.

“Gracie and I are best friends and Julie and my mom are best friends,” Groneck, 17, said. “Julie is like another mom to me. That’s the way things are here.”

Gracie, who plans to attend Northern Kentucky University in the fall, said the school and community support go well beyond the special graduation ceremony.

“If I need to go out of class and calm myself down, I’m perfectly fine to do that,” Gracie said. “There are so many people there for you because if they don’t know you, they know your parents and if you don’t know them, you know their kids.”

Within Julie’s family, everyone has pulled together as well to help her in her time of need.

Her son Justin Mendell, 27, also a Bellevue High School graduate, lives in the home so he can help with her care.

Julie’s siblings, brother Larry Mendell, who lives next door, and sisters Linda Taylor and Debbie Brock alternate days throughout the week to make sure someone is with her at all times.

Most weekends, everyone chips in.

“People say they can’t believe how much we do for her, but she’s my sister and I never really thought about doing anything else,” Taylor said. “This is how we all grew up and we were taught this is what families do.”

Following Tuesday’s graduation ceremony, friends and family will gather for a small reception organized by volunteers and paid for with community donations.