By Julie Randle, Suburban Journals, June 28, 2006

Julie Devlin is no psychic, but she had a forewarning she hopes will not prove to be accurate. About a year ago, she had a premonition her life on earth would be limited.

"It was a thought I kept having over and over. It started about a year ago. I kept thinking I might die and I didn''t know why, so I asked my friend would he take care of my dog. He''d say, ''where is all this coming from.'' I''d say I didn''t know''," said Devlin, a Sunset Hills resident.

Unfortunately, her thoughts became a reality. Devlin was diagnosed in April with leukemia.

"It was surreal. I couldn''t believe it," she said.

After receiving the bad news from the Barnes-Jewish Hospital staff, she recalls a doctor saying, " ''If we don''t get this chemotherapy in you, you could lose your life in two weeks to two months''," she said.

Devlin, who has taken a leave of absence from her job as a waitress at The Viking restaurant, at the Holiday Inn St. Louis-Southwest, 10709 Watson Road, was hospitalized at Barnes-Jewish Hospital April 19 through May 19.

During that time her three sisters, Pat Wedge, Kelly Schwartz and Jackie Kubbage her identical twin - were tested to see if they were bone marrow matches, but none were candidates.

To aid her sister in her battle and give her a fighting chance at life, Schwartz has organized a bone marrow drive to help her sister and others in her situation find possible donors.

"It''s a good opportunity for me and other people to find a match," Devlin said.

The event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. July 7 at the Carrollwood Condominium Clubhouse, 10761 Carrollwood Way.

If Devlin finds a matching donor, she would be ecstatic, she said.

"People think they have to give their own bone. It''s not like that, they only need to give their stem cells. It''s like a blood transfusion," she said.

Until a match is found, Devlin will have to receive chemotherapy on a frequent basis to keep her cancer in remission. Recently, she finished five days of chemotherapy at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

To keep her mind busy and not focused on the leukemia, Devlin enjoys reading and keeping a journal about her experiences with cancer and how it affects her, her family and her friends.

Her family and friends are helping her through her crisis, she said.

"The support is amazing. I don''t know what I would do without my family and friends. They''ll be there just to talk," she said.

Devlin''s leukemia began with her being tired, unexplained bruises on her body and severe bone pain, she said. Things then escalated to include fever, headaches and vomiting.

She went to St. Joseph Hospital of Kirkwood three times before the disease was detected through a blood test and a bone biopsy.

At that point, Schwartz, a registered nurse and consultant for Barnes-Jewish Hospital, had Devlin moved to Barnes-Jewish Hospital. There she had an assessment, answered questions, had blood tests and a bone biopsy.

"Their bone biopsy told me exactly what was wrong with leukemia," she said.

Her happiest moment after her release came when she able to see her most prized treasure.

"I could see my dog. I''m crazy about my dog," she said. Devlin''s companion, is her 5-year-old beagle, Sadie.

"I''m an animal lover. She makes me smile. She''s there for me. She makes me happy," Devlin said.