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Justin Cass
fundraising underway

Lacombe man headed to Arizona for specialized tumour treatment

Mar 23, 2021 | 10:46 AM

Justin Cass was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Chondrosarcoma after noticing a strange twitching in his tongue.

When the twitching began, Cass, a seasonal worker with Lacombe County and bartender at the Lacombe Legion, first dismissed it as a minor annoyance before getting it checked out a few months later as it persisted. After two MRIs, he was informed that there was a large tumour in his neck restricting his blood flow.

Known as a Chondrosarcoma, it is a malignant cartilaginous tumour that can occur anywhere in the skeletal system, and is most commonly discovered in the long bones and pelvis.

A month after his diagnosis, Cass’s condition began to worsen and he started to experience earaches, tightness inside his head, loss of strength in his right arm and significant fatigue. The tumour was located in an area heavily congested with arteries making surgery a risky option. However, his doctors were confident they could be successful.

This January, the pain began to increase to a level no longer tolerable and he was taken to the ER. Recognizing the urgency, they fast-tracked his surgery and they were able to remove most of his right jugular vein and part of his sinus.

Due to the location of the tumour, he’s unable to follow the surgery with radiation because of the nerve damage it could cause. The treatment he needs is proton-beam radiotherapy, which is not available in Canada. His doctors are planning to send him to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona for 6-8 weeks of specialized treatment, so a fundraiser was started to help him with the costs.

You can learn more about Cass’s story and the fundraising campaign for his treatment here.