Justin Makekau fighting spindle cell cancer

To our dismay, our dear friend, Justin "J" Makekau, is in the fight of his life with a battle against a rare and aggressive mouth cancer called malignant spindle cell neoplasm. For those who are unaware, J is 39 years old, turning 40 in July. Born in Lahaina, Hawaii (yes THAT Lahaina Hawaii, we pray for the recovery from the fire) he eventually transplanted to Phoenix Arizona in 1990. J is a graduate of North High School, and the first in his family to graduate college with his Bachelors degree in Psychology from Arizona State University. He is an avid Arizona sports fan, passionate golfer (both conventional and disc), and baseball aficionado. Needless to say J loves the outdoors!

He was diagnosed with this mouth cancer about three months ago. Unfortunately, the cancer is in a very difficult location underneath his tongue and growing into the muscles of his tongue. It is very aggressive and has already grown to exceed 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch by 1 inch. Surgery will require J to have his jaw broken, split apart, and the removal of a large amount of his tongue. The cancer has unfortunately spread to an adjacent lymph node that will also need removal. This surgery will leave J with a severe speech impairment, difficulty swallowing, and (if he will even be able to) difficulty eating for the rest of his life, not to mention the change in his physical appearance! Because of these complications, J has chosen to put surgery on hold and pursue radiation and chemotherapy as the first course of treatment. We are all praying the good doctors can save as much of his functionality as they can, but at this point it's truly in Gods hands.

This go fund me is created in order to help him with the basic necessities during his care. J is a proud man, he is not asking for a hand out, and would not reach out if it wasn't his last resort. For the past 20 years he has been the guy delivering your desired beverage of choice at local baseball, spring training, NASCAR, and countless other events. His work, while it has its finer points, does not provide short term nor long term disability benefits , insurance benefits, nor paid time off. J desperately needs your help if you can. This go fund me might be his only source of income for the next few months until he gets back on his feet!

Please help donate. Your help will be instrumental in covering not only some of his care but also his living expenses as he endures the months long treatment regimens. Thank you, God bless and Aloha!

Nick Kehagias is managing the GoFundMe. All the funds will go directly to Justin Makekau.