March 2010 - Margaret (mother) received a call from highschool saying that Justin was complaining of right knee pain. He had experienced something similar while they were in Costa Rica at Christmas time, but it had been short-lived, lasting only 48 hours. She made him a doctor’s appointment for that afternoon. When she saw him, he was pale, in obvious pain, his knee felt hot and swollen, and she suspected he was running a fever. Dr. Al thought that Justin was fighting an abscess under his thigh muscle and ordered a knee MRI. The next morning they found out that the MRI showed a high suspicion for bone cancer. A few days later, they discovered that he had a tumor called Ewing’s Sarcoma in his right lower femur. He underwent 6 chemotherapy treatments of 5 different medicines, then had surgery to remove the tumor. Dr. Wilson removed 6 inches of his femur, replaced it with a titanium rod, and held the titanium rod in with a knee replacement and titanium in his upper femur and his tibia. After healing for about 4 weeks, he underwent 8 more chemotherapy treatments and finished on December 5th, the day before his 17th birthday. June 2011 - Justin experienced some back pain and fever, but it went away quickly, and he didn’t have any similar symptoms until mid-July. The doctors really felt that he was having kidney or urinary problems, but they got a little worried when his urine tests were clear. After a bone scan, CT scans, and a bone biopsy, they received the devastating news (on the first day of Justin’s senior year) that the Ewing’s Sarcoma had metastasized. He had a tumor on his skull, on his left ischium (butt bone), and in his lungs, so he received 10 months of outpatient chemotherapy. May 2012 - Justin graduated with honors from high school and enjoyed a short vacation after his last chemo treatment the first week of June. The last week, he had a PET/CT scan which showed that the old tumors were dead but that new tumors in his right upper arm and lungs. Since he was planning to attend the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, AZ, his parents started the transfer process to the Mayo Clinic. After four rounds of chemotherapy, he had a PET/CT scan, and on his 19th birthday, heard that the results were CLEAN. But, because of his history, the doctors wanted to treat him for a few more months before declaring him NED. Justin passed away just a few month's shy of his 21st birthday. Thank you for supporting Justin and the more than 300,000 kids worldwide who will be diagnosed with cancer this year. By sharing the gifts of your time, talent and money with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, you're supporting research to give all kids with cancer a better chance for a cure.