One of five St. Baldrick's Foundation 2012 Ambassador Kids
(aka Justin Miller: The Childhood Cancer Fighting Ninja)
In 2006, doctors gave Justin a 30% chance of being alive in five years. They said if he relapsed, he wouldn’t survive. Justin has proved them wrong.
He was only three when he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. Treatment and surgery took the sight from his left eye, but not his spirit. After his second relapse, Justin started doing pushups, “to get back to fitness so I can fight the cancer again,” he said. In March 2012, Justin relapsed for the fourth time. After finishing MIBG therapy in June 2012, scans showed no signs of cancer in his body. Justin’s family is in the process of determining his next course of treatment as everyone agrees that he will need to do something preventative now that the cancer has been destroyed.
But Justin is more than a cancer diagnosis. He loves corn dogs, mac n’ cheese, Cub Scouts, Legos and his dogs – Ralphie and Chipper (after the University of Colorado mascots). While most boys pull on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, Justin’s first choice is his favorite suit which he says is “smart looking, classy and sophisticated.”
Justin became inspired by a blind contestant on a reality show who didn’t let his disability keep him from climbing mountains and jumping off cliffs. Justin is doing the impossible too. When he learned of his third relapse in October 2011, Justin responded, “I would do anything to make the cancer get out of my body. I will never be too tired to stop fighting – let’s go do this thing.” Six years after diagnosis, and after four relapses, he continues to face each new challenge with a relentless determination.
