Justin Cass’ Jugular Cancer Journey -
If you’re lucky enough to know Justin, you know that he has a heart of gold, a never-ending smile and is always there when you need him. But now he needs our help because he is currently undergoing treatment for a rare form of cancer called Chondrosarcoma.
Justin’s journey so far...
It was in December of 2019 that Justin began noticing some twitching in his tongue. He dismissed it at first as a minor annoyance, but by February 2020 it became more regular so erring on the side of caution, he scheduled an appointment to see his family doctor. Together they navigated through the new COVID-19 landscape to find a neurologist and during the last week of June 2020, Justin met with a neurologist via Zoom, and within two weeks he had undergone two separate MRI's.
He was informed that there was a large tumour in his neck and it was restricting blood flow significantly. He was immediately sent to a neurosurgeon for a consultation. One month after diagnosis, his condition begun to worsen. He began to experience regular earaches, increasing sensations of tightness on the inside of his head, significant fatigue and a dramatic loss of strength in his right arm. A cerebral anagram revealed that the tumour was in a location within his neck that was heavily congested with arteries, and so surgery to remove the growth would be very tricky. Despite the level of delicacy required to remove it, there was confidence that the procedure would be successful.
By October of 2020 he could no longer work because of his symptoms. In December 2020, he was notified of a CT scan scheduled for May of 2021 with a surgery to follow. During this time, he was losing functional control over parts of his body, all the while the pain levels continued to increase.
Turning Point: In January 2021, the pain increased to a level that he could no longer manage and he was taken to the emergency room. The attending physician immediately recognized the urgency of the situation and reached out to Justin's neurosurgeon, resulting in a decision to fast track the date of his surgery to the first week of February 2021. Although this was welcomed news, his symptoms and pain levels steadily increased so his surgery was bumped up. So on January 27, Justin went in for a surgery that lasted over 12 HOURS! During the surgery they removed most of his right jugular vein and part of the sigmoid sinus, then they took some fat from his stomach to pack into his skull
and secured everything firmly in place with plates and screws.
The pathology report revealed that the tumour was malignant (chondrosarcoma). Surgery, followed by radiation was initially recommended as treatment for this rare form of cancer sitting in an even rarer location of the body (base of his skull). However, during a consultation in March 2021, it was determined that typical radiation therapy presented too great a risk of inducing permanent brain and nerve damage when applied in an area with so much congestion. The kind of treatment that Justin needs in order to eliminate the remaining cancer cells is known as proton-beam radiotherapy, and it is not available in Canada. Justin is currently working with his team of doctors and a plan is being made to send him the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona for 6 to 8 weeks of specialized treatment.
Presently, there is no information available concerning the level of financial burden Justin and his mom will experience during his 2 months of treatment in the United States.
I am hoping that with this Go Fund Me page, that we will be able to help take away the stresses, anxieties and financial uncertainties that he and mom are facing so they can just focus on his treatment.
A little more about Justin...
Justin and his mom moved to Lacombe more than a decade ago and have loved calling it home! Justin knew from a young age that he wanted to make a difference in the community he loves and at just 28 years old, he's given Lacombe so much!
Before becoming the bartender at the Lacombe Legion, he was a volunteer there. He helped out with numerous events there such as weekly Bingo, annual Remembrance Day ceremonies and he was instrumental in starting up the Legion's annual Canada Day BBQ!
You've all heard of Locavore, right? Well, he was on the organizing committee with Locavore for 2 years, where he helped showcase tons of local food vendors! For 3 years running, he has also been on the Lacombe Days committee, where he volunteered to get his pyrotechnics license to help offset costs so that we could continue to enjoy the fireworks as a part of our annual celebration. That's not something you hear about every day!
On weekends you'll often see him at one of our local restaurants! Pressed to name only a few, some of his favourites are East Side Eatery, Cilantro and Chives and Tollers Bistro. And if you've ever frequented Sweet Capones then you're sure to have seen his smiling face behind the counter, as well!
Currently, Justin is unable to return to his seasonal job with the County of Lacombe.
A bit about the tumour itself...
Known as a Chondrosarcoma, it is a malignant cartilaginous tumour (like a chunk of hard rubber) that can occur anywhere in the skeletal system, and is most commonly discovered in the long bones and pelvis.
Optimal treatment programs include “maximal surgical resection” (get as much of the mass out as possible), and follow up with radiotherapy the best way possible.
What makes the spine/skull-base Chondrosarcomas so difficult to deal with are their proximity to the crucial nerves and arterial systems in the neck and head, making typical radiotherapy strategies too risky. Often times the post-operative radiotherapy treatment must be of a highly specialized nature (proton beam radiotherapy)
