Justin's Story

Hope and a Smile help Hodgkin's Lymphoma Patient

"I didn't really care that I had cancer, because I was still able to play basketball." An unusual perspective, certainly, but then, Justin is an unusual, and impressive, young man.

Justin, an 18-year-old high school senior from St. Michael, Minnesota, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, just before entering the tenth grade at St. Michael-Albertville High. He didn't feel sick, in fact, just the opposite. A fine athlete, he was planning to try out for his school's football and basketball teams. During the required sports physical his doctor found a lump, an enlarged lymph node, in Justin's neck. He referred the family to Dr. Joe Neglia at the University of Minnesota, who diagnosed Justin with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Justin started chemotherapy at the U on September 9, the second day of school. Treatment kept him off the football team, but he wasn't too worried. He still had the ok to play basketball.

At first, Justin seemed to take chemotherapy in his comfortable, long-legged stride. But, then something happened that he remembers as the very worst thing about his illness. He developed a blood clot at the site of the catheter doctors had implanted to deliver his chemotherapy drugs. His doctors discovered that Justin has a type of blood chemistry that causes clotting to occur at a faster than normal rate. Because of the clot, Justin spent ten days in the hospital, including four days in intensive care. And, he was sidelined from the basketball team.

Justin's friends rallied around him during his illness and treatment. They visited him at the hospital unit. They were even allowed to come when he had shingles ( a consequence of his suppressed immune system). "A whole bunch of kids wore t-shirts with his number on when he wasn't able to play (sports)," his mom Joyce remembers.

His parents are very proud of Justin, whom his mom calls, "a good student, well respected by his peers and teachers." In describing himself, Justin only says, "I don't worry about anything very much. I'm kind-of freewheeling." Joyce learned a lot about her son during his treatment, especially about his spirituality and his faith in God. "His strength gave me strength," she says. "If I hadn't seen his strength, I would have lost it." Because of his experience with cancer, Justin is planning to become a doctor. He's grateful for his recovered health, but, typically, he refers to something outside himself as the inspiration for his career choice. "(In clinic) I saw a guy with tumors on his head. When I saw him six months later, all the tumors were gone and he had a big smile on his face."

At a follow-up visit at the Oncology Clinic, Justin and Joyce got some difficult news. A scan had revealed an enlarged lymph node behind Justin's breastbone. Justin would need a second scan to get a clearer picture, and they wouldn't know the results for another two days. When faced with this information, neither Justin nor Joyce lost their smiles or their composure. "I'm not thinking about it until Thursday," Justin said. "At least I'll get out of school!" And on Thursday Justin did receive good news when the scan revealed he was still cancer-free.

Editor's Note: We are sorry to report that Justin had a recurrence of his Hodgkin's disease approximately three years after initial diagnosis. Justin, who is now a college student, has started a four to five month course of chemotherapy in preparation for a stem cell transplant at the University of Minnesota. In a procedure known as an autologous transplant, Justin will be receiving his own previously frozen stem cells, which will be used to constitute his bone marrow. According to oncology nurse, Nancy Youngren, Justin's chances for recovery after transplant are good.