BALTIMORE - A special round of applause for a man who knows how to jump hurdles to reach his goal.
You may remember Justin Izlar from a May ABC 2 News Special Report. Justin is a 23-year-old man who may have spent more time in the hospital than in the classroom before graduation day. On Saturday Justin achieved his goals and graduated from Coppin State University.
During Justin's freshman year at Coppin in the spring of 2005, he was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a malignant bone tumor that spreads throughout the body and attacks the lungs. Justin's cancer has returned eight times, but doctors can only remove it each time, not cure it.
Justin missed three semesters at Coppin as he went through six surgeries and chemotherapy. Justin says that "the last semester was extremely hard for me. I spent a lot of time in the hospital." His parents say "we knew one day it would happen, but with all of his struggles we just didn't know when."
Justin's journey through college took longer and was more painful than anyone sitting next to him, but he doesn't expect any accolades for his achievement, just a note that any goal, no matter how difficult, its worth the fight.
With Justin's graduation, he is now one step closer to his dream of becoming a physical therapist.
Read more: http://www.abc2news.com//dpp/news/region/baltimore_city/coppin-student-graduates-despite-cancer-battle#ixzz1ikAzBn7R
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