08/28/2026
A message from our Founder/Executive Director, Molly Reeser:
I often say that at Camp Casey, we see the very best and the very worst. Working with children with cancer and their families during the most vulnerable times takes special people, and itβs those people who turn what we do into magic.
Yesterday, I learned that one of Camp Caseyβs most beloved volunteers, Julie Lanivich Fathbruckner, passed away suddenly in a tragic hit-and-run motorcycle accident.
I met Julie in 2014, when she volunteered her horse, Queen B, to become part of our Hero Herd for Horsey House Calls. Queen B was beloved by EVERYONE and for more than a decade, Julie and Queen B gave thousands of hours to Camp Casey. But Camp Casey was only one of the many causes Julie poured herself into. She showed up, rallied others, and gave generously wherever she saw a need.
I will always remember one phone call with Julie. A child scheduled for a Horsey House Call had passed away overnight, and I was heartbroken as I called to tell her Queen B wouldnβt be needed that day. Julie comforted me with a vision of that child swimming peacefully in a sea of light and love. Somehow, Julie could always find a way to bring peace and comfort, even during the hardest times.
Losing her so suddenly and senselessly is heartbreaking. Iβm especially hurting for Todd, her soulmate. Their love was palpable, and Iβll always remember watching them dance, seeing them arrive perfectly dressed for every event, and watching them show up together for the causes they believed in. They were the epitome of what happens when people are so full of love that they canβt help but share it with others.
I know Julie once described Heaven to me as some sort of watery ocean, but I have never been more certain that her soul is reunited with Queen B, riding the great wide open, blazing trails with Casey and all of the Camp Casey angel children who went before her. And I imagine sheβs still doing what she always did here: bringing joy, love, and magic wherever she goes.
Julie was a rare soul. She made the world better simply by being in it. She will be deeply, deeply missed.
