Justin

If you are in the Neuroblastoma world, and thank God if you’re not, but if you are, you most likely know Justin Miller.  Justin and his family were the first cancer family to take us under their wing after Tuesday’s diagnosis.  They gave us the hope we needed to fight big.  Justin was riddled with disease, beat cancer down, relapsed 15 moths later and then beat it down again.  This is rare.  This has become the only life they remember.  Justin is off treatment for the second time, but this, by no stretch of the imagination, means that they are “done”.  One toe over the line in to this cancer world, and you will never be done.  There are always scans in your future, side effects from treatment, gripping fear in the back of your mind that the other shoe, may indeed, drop.  That is where our friends, the Millers, are currently residing.  Post treatment purgatory.

On Saturday, Justin and his mom will fly to New York, MSKCC, for scans and work ups.  This is where Justin has been receiving antibody therapy after relapsing in the brain.  They will be checking his rapidly decreasing vision in his one good eye.  They will be searching for the answer to his low platelet counts.  They will scan and test and poke and prod, and then they will wait.

Today we celebrate that Justin is cancer free, but we remember how hard and expensive this on going life remains for  the Millers.  Please make a donation for some “walking around money”, as Charley’s Gram would say.  Your gift will maybe buy Justin a toy to help take his mind off of scans.  It might buy his tired mama a coffee every morning of their stay.  Maybe they will use it to go out for a fun dinner, or see a show, or maybe they’ll blow it on candy and magazines at the airport.  It doesn’t matter.  Your gift will make this trip a little easier for them.  I hear all the time, what can I do?  This you can do.  It’s easy.  It matters.  Go give.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/bunkyspage

*UPDATE     Justin is currently being treated at MSKCC for a second relapse.  Please consider donating to offset the huge cost of travel to and from New York City.  Note:  Beyond the Blackboard will give 10% back to whatchagonnado on wednesday, Dec. 8th.