**Warning: Kleenex may be required when reading this post for those with a soft heart.**
There's a guy named Justin that I worked with at the Tech Bookstore my last quarter there. He loved life (almost too much I think) and we had a great time hearing his stories about it.
A few months after I graduated, I heard that Justin had been sent to St. Jude's for chemo and radiation treatment. He had lukemia. It was amazing because about 6 months before Justin was diagnosed, St. Jude's had begun accepting patients over 21. (He was 21 or 22 at the time.) He had his ups and downs there at St. Jude's (like any patient there does) and seemed to be doing better. He had come home (Minden) a couple of times and said even said he felt closer to "normal" for the first time in a while, bald head and all.
But soon after a benefit for him in his home town, Justin had to be rushed back to St. Jude's due to some complications and he passed away in April.
But there was something else that was very special about Justin that made a mark on my heart for him. He and I had the same birthday. I think that this year he would be 22 or 23. We didn't know each other real well but I will always remember him.
Happy birthday, man. We miss you. Catch ya on the flip side.