Read more: Local, Community, Health, Gabe Dubois Gifts for Gabe
GENOA, OHIO -- The Justus family has been getting a lot of mail this holiday season: Christmas cards for 8-year-old Gabe.
The reason for the cards, well that story begins almost two months ago right around Gabe’s birthday.
“My chest was hurting very bad. The morning after that when I was getting ready for school I coughed up a huge chunk of blood,” said Gabe.
Gabe’s parents rushed the boy to the emergency room and after a few days on antibiotics with no improvement, doctors took a biopsy that revealed a very advanced, level four tumor.
Gabe was diagnosed with lung cancer.
"The rarity is that this is normally something you would see in a 60-year-old man who smoked his whole life. There’s only been a handful of kids that have had this in the last 50 years,” said David Justus, Gabe’s stepfather.
The news was devastating and the prognosis remains unclear because doctors don’t know how the inoperable tumor will respond to chemotherapy.
Gabe’s parents spoke with the boy and he gets it.
Some people with cancer live and some don’t.
I mean my mom and my dad has not even died yet and I would die before them. That’s just wrong, not right,” said Gabe.
While medical staff put together a game plan at Toledo Children’s Hospital, they suggested to the family that they move Christmas up a few days.
So on Dec. 16, Santa made a special cameo at Gabe’s house to help him open presents. After that, it was the make a wish trip of a lifetime to Nickelodeon resort in Florida, where the spunky eight year old and his brother got to meet SpongeBob Square pants and the gang.
After the trip was over, it was immediately back to the hospital to prepare to start treatment.
When the family got back to their house, they were greeted with thousands of Christmas cards wishing Gabe better. There were cards from all over the country, even some from other countries.
You see, when Gabe found out he had lung cancer, family and friends asked what they could do to help.
Gabe’s parents told everyone on their blog page to send holiday cards. Someone forwarded that message, the Justus' forwarded it and then they forwarded it and so on.
One local man, who doesn’t know Gabe personally, heard the story and took it upon himself to go to gas stations and retirement homes to collect over 500 cards.
"It’s an 8-year-old boy, I mean he’s at the beginning of the life and it’s just a terrible tragedy. I mean it’s something you really push hard for,” said Richard King, a Genoa resident. The good news today is that Gabe is still around, a real wiggle worm worried about what his friends at school are going to think when he loses his hair.
Although mom and dad and step dad are worried to death, they are focusing on hope and extremely grateful for all the mail they’re getting this holiday. "It would cost us a million dollars to buy stamps to be able to send thank you cards to all these people, so just know we are grateful and we do appreciate it."
Cards for Gabe can be addressed to Gabriel Dubois and sent to: 40 North Coast University, 27100 Oakmead Dr. #117, Perrysburg, OH, 43551
