A Tribute to Our Beautiful Son Justin

On Saturday, October 30, 1999 the day before Halloween (Justin's favorite holiday), our family and the rest of the world suffered a tremendous loss. An innocent little boy who had so much to offer had passed away in front of our very eyes. He was a true fighter, not letting anything get in his way of having a great time. Although he had conquered two life-threatening diseases (Neuroblastoma and Leukemia) and had successfully completed two bone marrow transplants, he amazed all of the doctors and us every time. He was always a good boy, listening to everything we said and doing as he was told even up until the very last minute he was alive. It wasn't hard for him to make us proud, he handled that with ease like everything else in his life.

We will never forget our precious little son Justin, there's not another child that has had such impact on as many people as Justin has had. Although he was with us for just a short time, everyone that has met or even heard about him has fallen in love with him. If we had to think of one word to describe him, it would be an impossible task. There are so many words that come to mind, like Brilliant, Smart, Handsome, Unique, Tough, Courageous, and Brave... just to name a few.

We hope that we made his life seem as normal as we possibly could, but Justin's life was not the norm to say the least. Constantly in and out of hospitals, emergency rooms and clinics, Justin got to know the nurses, doctors and social workers as if they were his teachers and classmates. We couldn't wait until his treatments were complete so we could start planning a normal life that many others take for granted.

We will always remember the great times that we shared with him. Early mornings was daddy's time, Justin would climb the stairs to our bedroom and get into bed with his daddy and talk about what he wanted to do that day. How he loved to play and frolic with his little cousins, especially Matthew, who he looked up to like a big brother. Or the time he went to Wild West City. He loved going to Chuckie Cheese's and the Livingston Mall for Pretzels with Cheese. And how excited he was at his last Christmas to get his Batman doll. Or how he wanted to get his mommy a Barbie doll for Christmas so his Batman and Barbie could be married. And how he loved to play no matter how sick he felt. His favorite thing to do at the end of each day was to jump into bed with us and "Snuggle-Up Butter-Cup". No matter how tired or how sick he felt, he always took the time to say "I love you Mommy and Daddy". These and countless other memories are things that will be burned into our memory forever.

God gave Justin an I.Q. better than most children, Justin had a tremendous grasp on the english language, the computer, games and anything else he touched. All without attending a single day of school. God must have given him these gifts, knowing that he would spend such a short time on this earth. It's a tremendous disappointment to think of the potential he had and that we will never see it blossom.

Justin was a truly gifted child. We had such grand plans for our little king, but God must have had his own plans. God knew how special Justin was and that he must have wanted him to be by his side. So now you are free, free of the pain and suffering that no child should have to endure. We are sorry that you had to go through all of that and we wish you were here with us right now. We will miss you and someday if we are lucky enough we will be with you again. So rest well Justin, you will always be in our hearts forever.

Love,
Mommy and Daddy