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Julie Strain's Health Worsens, Tributes Paid

Published Tue, 27 Nov 2018 09:30:07 -0600

Nicknamed "Queen of the B-movies", Julie Strain was a Playboy model-turned comic book star. She modelled for many comic book artists, everyone from Simon Bisley to Milo Manara to Kevin Eastman – and became a character in her own right in Heavy Metal Magazine. She married Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle co-creator Kevin Eastman, played the lead in the animated movie Heavy Metal 2000 and was the basis for the third person shooter Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.². Julie was a familiar face at San Diego Comic-Con and a regular panelist.

Julie suffered from retrograde-amnesia, her teenage life wiped from her memory after suffering head trauma after a fall from a horse in her twenties. Earlier in the year, her partner Dave posted on her Facebook page, saying,

Julie says hello and sends everyone her love. I am sorry to report that Julie is currently in poor health due to a traumatic brain injury she endured in her 20's. This injury was mentioned in her biography "six foot one and worth the climb". Injuries to the brain can cause cognitive difficulties later in life, and Julie is currently experiencing these types of problems….

Thank you for keeping Julie in your prayers and supporting her with positive thoughts. She continues to be a very kind person with a very special heart and misses interacting with all of you.

Continuing,

Please know that dementia is an unpredictable disease. I knew very little about this illness until Julie was struck down by it. There are times when her condition has scared me to death. Other times I am hopeful. Your comments in Facebook have raised her spirits and I am so thankful for that.

As with any disease we are to some degree helpless. The fact that we have the disease cannot be changed. How we deal with it is something we do have some control over (emotions are hard to control). And how we deal with the disease is a great deal related to the people that support us. You, Julie's friends and loved ones, are absolutely the best.

Julie continues to be funny and entertaining at times. Other times she is in complete confusion and requires medicine. There are behavioral patterns, but they are not fixed patterns. My job is to keep Julie happy and comfortable and seek out any way possible to help her. Brain injuries are NOT good, and we are learning more about their impact as we read of athletes experiencing mental problems later in life: mostly football player and boxers specifically. If there was a cure to this disease, I'm sure Muhammad Ali and Ronald Reagan would have been with us much long to provided us with good advice on how to help one another.

For a long time, I struggled on how to communicate her health problem to her fans. Late, last Friday night, I began writing and knew it was time to communicate openly about Julie. Somehow we just know when the right time arrives. I was concerned that if I waited any longer, Julie could be gone and that would be disastrous to all of you. At that point, I asked myself, "what would Julie want me to do" if she was thinking straight. So, I entered her Facebook for the first time, and made the post.

I am brought to tears each each day as I watch this wonderful women be inflicted by this awful disease. I read everything on Julie's Facebook to her, even this post. Each time I write and read, I must pause as tears fill my eyes and I can no longer speak. I am experiencing this as I write you this post this very moment. This disease is sometimes called "the long goodbye"; I understand that completely.

Once again, thank you for uplifting Julie,

But recently the news took a downturn, with Dave telling her fans,

Julie's care at home has become more intensive due to complications of dementia, and she is entering final stage.

Currently, She is in the hospital and is due to return home this week. Her condition continues to worsen, and once again I am letting you know that her time here on Earth is limited.

She will return home, hopefully this week, on Hospice care once again. I don't believe she will be removed from Hospice going forward.

All my time is devoted to Julie's care safety. I will update you in several days.

Please be respectful to Julie on Facebook and please understand that her life is ending.

Her Facebook page is currently full of fans sharing their memories of Julie. Our thoughts are with Julie, Dave, her friends and family at this time.