LAKE COUNTY — Justin Olson made two birthday wishes this year. First, he wished to thank his doctor for giving him another year to live and second, he just wanted to tell anyone who has cancer to remember to have faith and hope and to believe.
Justin turned 8 years old on Oct. 16.
He came into the world nearly a month early and while he was born with a cleft palate, gum and lip, this was not the worst hardship he would face. “After seven years and five surgeries, we thought we had dealt with the worst until Dec. 27, 2010,” his mother, Shawna Olson, of Clearlake, said.
Olson said that her son underwent a gum bone graft on Aug. 26, 2010 only to be rushed back to the hospital three weeks later because a piece of bone came out of his gum. She said five hours later she was told that the doctors had over-packed his gum. She said three pieces of bone later she was no longer buying this excuse. On Dec. 27, 2010 she said the truth was discovered.
Olson said she was awoken by her son at 4 a.m. that morning. “He said to me ?Please Mommy take me to the hospital and make the doctors make me better,”” she said. “I knew right there it was bad so at 9 a.m. we walked into Children”s Hospital and at 4:31 p.m. we were told that Justin”s CAT scan had found a tumor the size of a softball in his lower abdomen. It was pushing his bladder to the right and was the reason he could not walk.”
Justin was admitted to Children”s Hospital the next day where he underwent a biopsy. Olson said a week and a half later Stanford diagnosed her son with Hodgkin”s Lymphoma stage 2B. The next day, Justin went into surgery and was given a medi-port. “I remember having to explain to my autistic son what a medi-port was,” she said. “After I showed him a video and explained that he could get his medicine through it and the blood tests could be done mostly without any more pokes, all he could say was ?when can we do this?””
Olson said nine and a half months later, they finally received some good news. “We got a phone call saying that Justin was finally in the beginning stages of recovery,” she said. “Even though we are in recovery, it is not the same as remission. We still have a long road ahead of us.”
Olson calls her son her miracle boy. She said despite his hardships, his courage and strength are to be admired. “He”s gone through a lot and he doesn”t let it get him down. He”s an amazing kid,” she said. “Now all he wants to do is be a spokesperson for children with cancer who are going to get a medi-port so he can tell them not to be afraid.”
Justin”s medical appointments will resume on Dec. 14. He and his mother must travel to the Bay Area for treatment. Olson, who is a single mom, said transportation has now become an issue because her car recently broke down and she was advised the vehicle is not worth what it would cost to rebuild the engine. She said doctors are working with them to best schedule Justin”s treatments with regard to their transportation limitations. However, she said the schedule makes for a grueling day for Justin. She said on Dec. 14 Justin is scheduled for an EMG test at University of California, San Francisco then on Dec. 15 he must be back at Children”s Hospital for appointments with the neurologist, cardiologist, nutritionist and finally the oncologist, where he has to have lab tests and his medi-port flushed.
“On Jan. 12 we come back for a panel meeting with three doctors and four surgeons and then we have a lovely six-hour ride on one shuttle, a BART train and three bus rides back to Lake County,” she said. “That”s a lot for a kid.”
DJ”s Pizza in Lower Lake will host an all-you-can-eat pizza fundraiser, 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday to assist with the expenses associated with Justin”s medical treatment. Donation is $8 per person. Olson said since her son was back in the hospital on his birthday, cake will also be served. For more information, contact Shawna Olson at (203) 892-7670.
