JustinQuest

Unbelievable Coincidence

2012-01-23T17:14:00.000-08:00

I received an email from a person named Scott the other day. He went to the Justin's Quest website after searching the Internet. He has a very touching story. He has 4 boys all with names that start with J's as we also have 4 boys with first names starting with J's but most compelling his second son named JUSTIN has a brain tumor also. Our Justin is our second son also.This is very eerie. Scott's Justin is 9 years old and has had to endure 3 surgeries and proton beam radiation. Scott and I talked and could not get over our similar situations. We sent the family Justin's Quest wristbands. Scott's Justin sent me a very touching email thanking me and saying that he will always wear the band. My Justin was very touched by the story as was our whole family. We hope to get both families together to meet soon. Justin is still on the radio and please go visit www.abc2.org.
Thanks!!

We Got Another Pass

2012-01-06T07:11:00.000-08:00

We thankfully received great news that Justin's brain tumor is stable and we can again hold off treatment. There is definitely someone upstairs looking out for him and blessing him for all his fantastic work that he has done for the brain tumor community.We are so proud of Justin with his strength and courage to fight this and help others with brain tumors. It was a very stressful couple of days leading upto and the day of his MRI and doctors' appointments. Unless you go through it personally it is impossible to grasp the magnitude of this event. That being said we know that everyones' prayers have really made the difference in keeping Justin safe. We cannot thank everyone enough for your love and support. Also, we want to thank the generous people who have recently made donations to Justin's Quest benefiting ABC2 (www.abc2.org). Our radio campaign recently has helped make a big push and a increase of donations. Without money, there cannot be research and without research there cannot be a cure. Sorry for the delay in writing this blog in giving the great news but we have been so mentally drained that I had to gather the strength to sit down and write. Thanks again to all of you for your support!!!!

Off To Boston We Go!

2012-01-03T17:00:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Justin's appointment at Mass general in Boston. He will get his MRI and meet with other doctors. We feel so lucky to have such a great team at Mass General. It seems crazy how time flies. It seems like we measure time by each MRI and hopefully getting the news we want to hear " we get a pass and can put off treatment". As always MRI time is stressful for the whole family and especially Justin. We want to give a shout out and big thanks to Jay Rosenberg and his wonderful staff from Rosenberg Media. Jay has orchestrated the unbelievable radio coverage this past week and continuing on WTOP. Justin and ABC2 have received so much attention thanks to Jay. In addition we need to thank WTOP radio and Clear Channel for donating their air time for this wonderful cause. They are all helping us raise awareness and getting us closer to a cure for brain tumors. We will fill you in after our big day in Boston. Again, please visit www.acb2.org and Justinsquest.com for more information. Thanks for your support!!!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-26T15:16:00.000-08:00

Justin and the family want to wish everyone happy holidays. We just got back from a family trip in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with 20 family members to include my dad who is almost 82 years old. It was so awesome as the all the first cousins from my side were there: Cary, Courtney, Alex, Marni,Jared, Melanie, Michael,and Darian. Justin and the family had lots of fun in the sun and the ocean. The kids played beach soccer, beach volleyball and football in the ocean. It was perfect timing to help keep our minds off our pending MRI and appointment at Mass General January 4th. We have our fingers crossed as this is the most stressful time for our family. Don't forget to check out our new team member at www.abc2.org.

WWW.ABC2.ORG and WWW.JUSTINSQUEST.COM

2011-12-20T04:51:00.000-08:00

Again, We want the world to know that Justins Quest has joined Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (www.abc2.org). We have been receiving alot of emails congratulating us on our new affiliation. Justin could not be more excited. Please visit www.abc2.org that is www.abc2.org and take a look at what a wonderful organization they are. Thank you all for your help and take a look at our new look website www.Justinsquest.com

JUSTIN JOINS ACCELERATE BRAIN CANCER CURE ORGANIZATION

2011-12-15T11:02:00.000-08:00

Big news!! Justin and our family have joined forces with Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2, www.ABC2.org)which is one of the leading and cutting edge organizations in finding a cure for brain tumors. Justin's Quest will continue in conjunction with ABC2 to come up with new events to raise awareness and help find a cure a cure for brain tumors. Justin is so excited to be a spokesperson for ABC2 and he and our family are working dilignetly with ABC2 to make a difference. In fact Justin just recorded public service announcement radio spots to be aired throughtout the country to help raise awareness for brain tumors. Justin is as committed as ever to find a cure brain tumors. We will keep you posted on Justin's and ABC2's progress frequently. All of the proceeds raised from Justin's Quest benefit ABC2 and will be put to great use in research to find a cure. Remember without money ther can be no research and without research there can be no cure for brain tumors. Please visit the updated version of www.justinsquest.com and www.ABC2.org. Thanks for your support!

High School Has Started

2011-09-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that Justin is a Freshman in high school. He loves his new school and already has made new friends and Justin is very excited that he made the varsity soccer team. Justin told us what we thought to be a very nice and touching story. In one of his classes the teacher asked each kid the question " what would you do with a million dollars?". Justin not being bashful or afraid to tell people he has a brain tumor, Justin said "I would take that money and try and find a cure for brain tumors". He then proceeded to tell the students and the teacher that he has a brain tumor and that he started Justin's Quest to find a cure for brain tumors and raise awareness. The class started clapping for Justin.I share this story with you to again illustrate Justin's commitment to make a difference and find a cure. He was very excited to tell us this story. Justin's Quest is a part of his life. We will keep you posted on Justin's next endeavor to raise awareness and help find a cure for brain tumors.

END OF SUMMER UPDATE

2011-08-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

Justin and the family have had a great summer. Justin and his brothers spent alot of time at the shore going to the beach and hanging out. Justin had a chance to visit a beach house called Justin's House. We received some emails asking if this was a house we were involved in. We did some research about the house and discovered some eery information. The house was named after Justin Jennings and started by his parents through the Justin Jennings Foundation. Justin Jennings unfortunately, passed away from a brain tumor after a courageous fight at the age of 20. Our Justin was very touched by the story and wanted to see the house and learn more about it. We visited the house and took some pictures of Justin standing in this huge green wooden beach chair. The house is in Bethaney Beach and set up to provide a vacation with families who have a member with cancer at the cost of just a refundable security deposit. Our hats off to Justin Jennings' parents for providing such a wonderful haven for families dealing with cancer. We arrived in Boston to get our MRI and doctor visits for Justin. We again have been blessed with a stable MRI and feel very lucky to be in the hands of such a great medical team at Mass General Hospital. This will be the place where Justin will have treatment at some point...no body can predict when and that is the hard part walking on eggshells. We again are very lucky that we caught the brain tumor early to monitor it closely. Hard to believe that Justin is starting high school this Fall. He is very excited. The rest of the family is doing well and we will keep you posted on Justin's future brain tumor awareness and fundraising endeavors to come in the near future as he and the family are very committed to make a difference. Thanks again for everyone's love and support!!

The Mavericks Are The World Champions

2011-06-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

Justin was watching all the NBA playoff games very attently to see which team would be the champs. He had a new appreciation of the playoffs given his personal meeting with the all stars. He was rooting for the Celtics, Heat, Lakers and Mavs. The finals were very intense for Justin as we all know he loves LeBron. However, he was very happy that the Mavs won because he really loves Dirk. Dirk had a personal meeting with Justin in L.A. during his last shot day and he was real cool to Justin. Obviously, Justin would have been very happy if the Heat won because of LeBron. Oh well basketball is over for now. Justin just finished school today and will start high school next year. We had his junior high school graduation last week and I could be more proud of him. It is a huge accomplishment for him given his diagnosis and his learning difficulties. Again Justin has proven that he can do anything. Fortunately, we received good news in May that Justin's tumor is again stable and slow growing. Once again we get a pass on the start of treatment. He goes back to Boston MGH at the end of August for more testing. We are so grateful to the team of doctors at Mass General Hospital(MGH), they have been fantastic with all his testing and have accepted Justin in their protocol of proton beam radiation when the time comes. We feel very blessed that Justin is in good hands. Justin is still involved with NBTS with their Get your head in the game campaign. He and his brothers as well as Audery and I are thinking of other ways to raise awareness and find a cure for brain tumors. Stay tuned!

CHECKING IN

2011-04-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since my last post. Justin has been doing good and going about his regular daily routine. He still cannot not stop taking about the NBA ALL STAR weekend. Justin is getting involved with NBTS for their new campaign getyourheadinthegame.org. NBTS came to our house to do a photo shoot for Justin for the new campaign. It was very exciting for Justin. Our family is still very committed to make a difference and we are doing the Race For Hope For DC on May 1st. Thanks again for everyone's support.

CONGRATS TO JUSTIN ON HIS 63,000 TH BASKET

2011-02-20T06:40:00.000-08:00

We are still very numb from Saturday's unbelievable and incredible experience. As I wrote about yesterday Justin had his pregame meal. We waited in the hotel room before leaving to go to the convention center at 9:15 am. You could see that Justin was nervous and anxious and very excited about this huge day. I think I could see the wheels turning in his head about all the things he has done the past 18 months for Justin's Quest coming down to this last day. He was very clingy to me as he was seeking support and reassurance. I was trying to keep him calm as I know when the lights and camera start rolling he goes into a different mode, a zone of determination to make the most of the situation to raise awareness and have fun. Before we left the room, I gave Justin a kiss and a big hug to tell him how proud I am of him and how much I loved him and he hugged me back so hard to acknowledge that he is ready and appreciated his support. We got into a cab with Chris and Lauren from NBTS to the convention center. We were met by Patrick and other folks from the NBA. I have to say that the NBA is such an unbelievable organization for doing this. The people are so down to earth and really organized this event for JQ not for their publicity, but to make Justin happy and help him in his Quest to raise awareness and find a cure for brain tumors. You could see in Justin's eyes that he was a bit nervous but incredibly excited. Patrick put orange floor bands on each of us for access to the court. I asked if Justin could shoot some practice hoops before the big moment and they said no problem. He looked determined. Justin and I went to the court and Justin grabbed a ball and started shooting with me as the rebounder at around 10 am. All of the sudden you saw Justin in his element getting into a zone knowing that in about 45 minutes he will make his last shot and do TV interviews. The stands started to fill up rapidly and there was a ton of media around. Justin just kept shooting free throws, layups, and 3 pointers. It was so hot under the lights, I was Justin's personal assistant getting him gatorade and wiping the sweat off his face. I was in a zone also, reflecting back on what Justin has done and what is about to happen. I was nervous for him because he wants so badly to do well for the cause. Chris handed out media releases to all the media present, then they flocked to Justin for interviews and pictures. Again, I was blown away how poised he is in front of a camera. He tells his story so well and so natural and from the heart. The press, NBA people and others present were blown away. The time was getting close for the big moment. We met the emcee of the event Chris Miles. He was so awesome as I was explaining Justin's story to him we both had tears in our eyes. He has 2 young kids and was blown away by Justin and his courage, he hugged both of us. We gave Chris a JQ wristband and he eagerly put it on. Patrick told us to hang out on the side of the court while the 26 All Stars come onto the court and for Justin to come out when emcee Chris calls him. It felt like an hour but it was only 5 minutes until Justin was called for showtime. The NBA strapped a microphone on Justin for the big moment as he was going to address the packed crowd of over 5000 people. Then the moment came. Chris was describing to the crowd that we have a special boy here today diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and he continued to describe his quest. Chris had the crowd and players silent as he was describing Justin's Quest. At that moment, I am saying to myself "I cannot believe that this boy is here doing such an wonderful thing for the world" I had chills and tears in my eyes as I heard Justin describe to the packed house why he is here and what it means. As a parent I could not be more proud of Justin than I was at this moment with all his hard work, his anxious times at the countless doctors and hospital visits and his will to find a cure for brain tumors, he will actually finish this Quest. The emcee called Justin to the free throw line and he was surrounded by all 26 players on the court. I was out there with him proudly watching. There was so many cameras on him. The emcee said that Justin is at 62,997 baskets. Justin walked to the free throw line confident and with swagger in front of the packed house of people cheering and the cameras clicking. He was about to attempt the most important free throw of his life. It was like game 7 at the NBA championship game with the game on the line. He takes the first shot and it rims out. Then he dribbles and concentrates for his next shot and sinks it. The emcee says 62,998 and 2 baskets to go. The emcee asks Justin who do you want help from of the 26 players here today. I held my breath as Justin said Pau Gasol.Pau came up to Justin and said he was honored to help Justin. Pau an excellent free throw shooter missed his first attempt only to proclaim to Justin that he was nervous. Then Pau sank his second shot, they both went 1 for 2. 62,999, then the emcee said lets dunk the brain tumor and Pau picked up Justin and he dunked the ball with authority as if a weight had been lifted of his shoulders by dunking his brain tumor and everyone else who has a brain tumor. 63,000!!!! the crowd went wild! Pau was such an awesome guy. Then I had the players sign his ball that was used for the last shot and his Jersey. It was amazing. Justin gave each player a JQ band as they signed his JQ jersey. We will certainly frame it. Justin did some more interviews and the we came back to the hotel for lunch and decompressed from an unforgettable day that we were and still numb from. I am so humbled and honored that the NBA and everyone involved with Justin's Quest has helped Justin achieve his dream. It is not over for Justin as he will work with NBTS in the Spring with their new awareness campaign. To see more of that go to getyourheadinthegame.org.The day was not over as we went to the Staples Center for the slam Dunk contest. We had incredible seats for this event. Blake Griffin as was Javale McGhee were fantastic. Justin even got a chanc to see meet one of his favorite football players Terrell Owens("aka T.O.". T.O. was sitting on the floor next to Shaq across the court. Justin said to me I have to meet T.O. and I said it cannot happen as you do not have the credentials to get the floor. Justin as determined as ever and not taking NO for an answer dragged me to the other side of the court. He somehow convinced security to let him on the floor. Once he was there he introduced himself to T.O. and told him about JQ. Security then tried to whisk Justin away and T.O. stopped them as he listen to Justin shook his hand and signed his shirt. I am telling you this story as it is another exemplary moment in Justin's life where his determination and courage will never let him down and help him accomplish anything in life, that is why he is so special and he will conquer his brain tumor and continue on his quest to find a cure and raise awareness for brain tumors.The only thing missing for me was I wish that Audrey, Jordan, Jacob and Joey could be here to see this. A huge thank you to all. I have to do a separate blog for all our thank yous because everyone has been so special, supportive and nice.

THE MORNING PRE-GAME BEFORE THE LAST SHOT

2011-02-19T08:03:00.000-08:00

WOW!!! IT is finally here. Sorry I did not blog yesterday, but so hectic and by the time we got back to the hotel we were exhausted as our day started at 4:30am EST. The plane ride was long and thankfully Justin took 2 naps. I had prepared for the 5 1/2 flight getting Justin some of his favorite foods for the plane: cinnamon pretzels and a 5 guys double cheeseburger. We landed and met Chris Grundner from NBTS and went straight to the hotel. WE had 15 minutes to get dressed and met Patrick from the NBA who was very instrumental in making this weekend happen.( big thanks goes to all the NBA folks who made this happen). On our way from the convention center we say Charles Barkley having a late lunch at Lawry's Carvery. We asked Justin do you want to meet him and of course he said definitely. Justin and I approached Charles at his table with a friend and we introduced ourselves and told him about Justin's story. He listened attently and was genuinely interested in Justin's plight. He posed with Justin for a photo. It definitley helped that we were wearing our NBA credentials around our neck. Then we saw the celebrity game with Scottie Pippen and Justin Bieber just to name a few at the convention center.The game was great. Then we went to the rookie challenge at the Staples Center. It poured down raining and was cold. We ran through the streets and got soaked. Finally we came back to the Omni Hotel( awesome by the way) and crashed as we were so tired. Justin woke up at 6:30am PST and said he was starving. We showered and had a very candid conversation about what today meant to him. It was emotional to hear his thoughts. He is excited and nervous. We had a wonderful Breakfast( which is Justin's favorite meal). He had a homemade waffle and french toast( low carb)as his pre game meal. We are in the hotel room waiting to leave in 35 minutes for the convention center for the big moment. I will update you later...It will be awesome today!!!!!

ONE DAY BEFORE THE BIG LA NBA TRIP

2011-02-17T04:26:00.000-08:00

We just received the awesome news yesterday that Laker All Star Pau Gasol will be the superstar who will shoot with Justin for his last shots with many of the 26 All Stars present on the court and watching Justin. Justin and the family are so excited. Justin and his brothers anxiously followed Pau Gasol in last night's game against Cleveland. He had a career night 30 points and 20 rebounds. We are putting the final touches on our packing for the journey to LA. Justin is so excited for this weekend but also a little sad that this quest is coming to an end. He wants to continue to fight for the cure for brain tumors and raise awareness. He will be involved in NBTS's new awareness campaign that will be launched in the Spring. As parents, Audrey and I cannot be more proud of Justin. We are also very proud of his brothers, Jordan, Jacob, and Joey for their love and support of Justin and his Quest, as I have always said it is a family brain tumor. I was talking with Audrey and reflecting about how far we have come from the infancy of this idea to make a difference after Justin's diagnosis in March 2009 to this weekend. It is truly mind blowing what Justin and our family have done. We have worked very hard with NBTS to raise awareness. Who would have thought that we would have met and shot hoops with President Obama ( a big thanks to Jay Rosenberg for making that happen),Michael Phelps and countless others. I must be perfectly candid, I knew in my heart that Justin's Quest would be big and make a difference. It was Justin's calling to help others upon his diagnosis of his brain tumor. I know for me personally it will be a very emotional weekend. Well enough of my rambling...I will be filling everyone in with blogs for this awesome weekend to come. Stay tuned and glued to your seats..Let the festivities begin!!! Lastly, I want to thank Chris Grundner, Director of Awareness for NBTS for making this weekend possible. He like us has poured his blood sweat and tears into this project.

5 Days Until The NBA All Star Weekend

2011-02-14T05:02:00.000-08:00

Justin spent the weekend with his brothers and cousins practicing his shot. They played hoops and shot 130 baskets toward his goal. Justin and his brothers are trying to guess the NBA player who he will shoot with. Justin and I are the only 2 family members attending this wonderful dream weekend. The rest of the family will be home cheering for Justin and awaiting for many updates from us about the weekend. Will keep you posted of updates!!! Thanks again for everyones love and support!

Justin vs. Dad

2011-02-11T10:32:00.000-08:00

This has been a very stressful week for Justin and the family as we were at Mass General Hospital(MGH) in Boston for testing. You would think it would get easier for these appointments, but quite the contrary it is harder. We were so impressed by MGH and all the doctors that we meet. Everyone was so nice to Justin, we really appreciate that and they have been following his Quest. He was like a little celebrity and they were very appreciative of all his efforts to find a cure for brain tumors and raise awareness. We want to give a special shout out to Stephanie and Dr. MacDonald for making our visit possible, they are awesome. It has been an emotional roller coaster for the almost 2 years since he has been diagnosed. We are now coming to the end of Justin's Quest next weekend at the NBA All Star event and it is so bitter sweet. We are so happy that Justin has made a difference but we want to say at some point in his life that Justin "HAD" a brain tumor. Justin is supposed to shoot his last 3 hoops at the NBA All Star practice on Saturday morning in front of all the media and the 26 All Star players present. We still have no idea which of the 26 he will shoot with. He is so excited. To get ready for his last shots, Justin and I played 3 games of horse and guess who won.... NOT ME..of course Justin destroyed me. It was a very nice bonding moment for him and I to talk about what is going on in his life and the stresses of this past week. We discussed who he wants to shoot his last shots with and he said any of the 26 players would be great but he said he would love to shoot with Lebron or Kobe too. Justin and I shot 50 baskets in total.

It Has Been A Big Week

2011-02-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

Justin the past coulple of days has shot 100 baskets with his brothers. His 3 brothers have been so supportive of him with his Quest. Trust me he would not be in such a good place without their love and support. He has been getting extra hugs from his brothers and that really helps him out. Justin will be visiting Mass General Hosipital on Monday and Tuesday for an unexpected visit. As you can imagine he is very nervous and anxious but completeing his Quest is keeping him going as is his visit to the NBA All Star game weekend.

20 Days and Counting to LA

2011-01-29T08:06:00.000-08:00

What an unbelievable last couple of months! With the enormous generosity of so many awesome people, including the ten NBA teams who have contributed a total of almost 30,000 baskets, we are only a couple hundred baskets away from Justin reaching his goal of 63,000 baskets. Justin would like to extend his heartfelt thanks to the Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs, New Jersey Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Hornets, Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies, and Los Angeles Lakers, and all of the other individuals who donated baskets, including most recently Harrison, Yasmin, and Noah! All of your collective efforts have helped to bring awareness to brain tumors and make Justin's dream come true. However, since Justin started this Quest, he wants to be the one who finishes it. As such, Justin will shoot the remaining 300 baskets over the next month in preparation for shooting the final basket at NBA Jam Session during NBA All-Star Week in Los Angeles. Details are still being worked out with our friends at the NBA, but I think it is safe to say that it is going to be a thrilling finale. We feel so lucky that Justin has this wonderful opportunity.Stay tuned for more details and thanks again from the entire Friedlander family!

35 DAYS and COUNTING

2011-01-15T12:56:00.000-08:00

Justin is counting down the days to his last shot at the NBA All-Star game. He just received his official invitation to the NBA weekend festivities and he is so excited as am I. We both are going to this event. It is still a surprise who will be the person shooting the last basket with Justin. He is asking me every day and I have no idea. Justin is continuing to monitor the NBA teams who are shooting hoops for Justin's Quest and Justin is also adding baskets. We are getting down to the wire of this unbelievable journey. It will not be the end of Justin and our family trying to find a cure for brain tumors. Unfortunately for our family, we are still in the limbo and walking on eggshells. The good news is Justin is stable and it is a blessing. We feel so lucky and we believe all the prayers that Justin continues to receive from so many people and his fight to help others continues to keep him safe. So he will continue to fight selflessly for not only himself but the whole brain tumor community.

Happy Holidays From Justin and the Family

2010-12-28T08:26:00.000-08:00

Justin and the family want to wish everyone a very happy and safe holiday season. We want to thank everyone for all their love and support for Justin and his quest. We have received so many well wishes and prayers for Justin and want everyone to continue their prayers as they are certainly helping. Justin wants to give to shout to his old friend Noah from the Lab School in Washington DC who shot 500 baskets towards the goal, that was so awesome of Noah. Justin and his brothers have shot another 1100 baskets so far over the holidays with more to come.

We Are Rolling!!!

2010-12-15T17:43:00.000-08:00

Over the past week Justin has picked up alot of steam towards his quest. He has had friends over and they have shot alot of hoops. He also has enlisted the help of his brothers, myself and his mother. It has been freezing here so all the shots have been inside. Another 2500 shots have been made. Justin is getting very excited about the NBA allstar game. He cannot stop talking about his last shot and the accomplishment of his quest which will hopefully lead to a cure for brain tumors. He has definitely raised awareness for this terrible disease.

Getting Closer To The Goal

2010-12-06T15:43:00.000-08:00

Justin and his brothers and of course with the help of some of the NBA teams is getting closer to that magic number 63,000. Justin and his brothers have shot another 1475 baskets since the last post. It is getting real cold so all the shooting is taking place in the basement basketball room. The kids are watching alot of NBA games while they shoot.

Big Shooting Day Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T12:49:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was a great day for our family. We had 30 people over our house. Justin and his brothers got up early and started shooting hoops. Then the cousins came over and the shooting continued in between the feast. Overall 750 baskets were made that day.

Busy Weekend

2010-11-15T13:58:00.000-08:00

Justin had a soccer tournament this past weekend and his team was the champion. Justin and his brothers still found time to shoot 660 baskets. On a more serious note we are in MRI mode as Justin has his next MRI tomorrow. This is a very uncomfortable feeling for the whole family and of course Justin. Unfortunately, it is very stressful until we get the results back from the doctors. It is a time where Justin bonds very closely with my wife and I. We will head to Childrens Hospital in DC and get our usual snack at the hospital before I go back with him for the hour long MRI. It breaks my heart to see the terrified look on his face in the MRI machine as you can imagine how scared he is until he gets hopefully the stable result that we are all seeking.

LULULEMON COMPANY DONATES TO JQ

2010-11-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

Lululemon is a company which sells beautiful designer workout clothes for women. Every year this generous company picks a day for 3 charities to visit their store in Tysons Corner Virginia. Nicole,Audrey's first cousin, works for Luluemon and suggested to management that Justin's Quest be one of the 3 charities. We are very grateful to the management and staff of luluemon for allowing JQ to attend. Audrey set up her material on a table in between the other wonderful charities. She had a picture of Justin in front of the White House in his JQ jersey and she place JQ cards on the table. The gist of how this works is as follows: patrons from the store come to the charity table to hear about each charity and that patron will put a chocolate kiss in the jar of the charity of their choice and each kiss represents $50donated by Lululemon. Needless to say when each person heard Audrey tell her story that" we have a son named Justin who was diagnosed with and inoperable brain tumor and that he wants to make a difference by shooting 63,000 baskets which represents each person diagnosed with a brain tumor each year. Justin wants to help raise awareness and find a cure for brain tumors and all the proceeds benefit the National brain Tumor Society". The patrons were impressed with all the charities but JQ was the favorite given Justin's passion and that he is a young boy with this disease and wants to make a difference. Lululemon donated $1350 to JQ. We want to thank Lululemon so much for their generosity and to Nicole for setting this up.

We Are Picking Up The Pace

2010-11-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

Justin is very inspired by all the NBA teams that are donating their baskets to Justin's Quest. The latest team to commit,the Charolette Bobcats, has great significance as Michael Jordan is one of the owners of the team. He is arguably the best player of all time. That has given Justin additional inspiration. Over the past week Justin and his brothers have shot 990 baskets. Justin wants to give a shout out to his friend and classmate Yasmin who shot 75 baskets for JQ over the weekend. Thanks Yasmin for all your help..it means alot to the family and our cause.

NBA Update!!!

2010-11-03T14:04:00.000-07:00

We just received the great news that the New Orleans Hornets has joined the Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets, San Antiono Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves and ofCourse the Washington Wizards in donating their baskets to Justin's Quest. Justin and the whole familty are so excited and honored that these teams are willing to help out.Justin and his brothers are devising a scheme on how to tally all those baskets. We will give an update this week on the total number of baskets donated.

NBA Season Began This Week!

2010-10-30T18:14:00.000-07:00

Justin and the family are so excited as we just learned that the San Antonio Spurs and the New Jersey Nets have so graciously agreed to donate their baskets along with the Wizards to Justin's total of 63,000. So far the Wizards have donated a total of 417 ( which includes preseason), the Spurs 80 and the Nets 62. Baskets made include free throws, 3 pointers and 2 pointers. Justin and his brothers have been on a shooting tear since the season began. So far they have made 515. We are really feeling the momentum and are very thankful for all the support.

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-10-20T17:49:00.001-07:00

We just got word that the Washington Wizards have so graciously volunteered to donate each basket made during the regular season to the NBA All Star break to Justin's Quest's total baskets of our goal of 63,000. This is such a great honor as we need all the help we can to achieve our goal. The Wizards have been so supportive of Justin's Quest and for that we are so grateful. We are so excited that the new ownership has taken and interest in Justin's plight and help raise awareness and find a cure for brain tumors.The NBA has been awesome in their support of Justin's Quest. Justin is so excited about this new endorsement. We will keep you posted. Lastly, Justin is very fired up as he and his brothers are picking up the pace in their shooting baskets.
Here is the Wizards Press Release:
IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 28, 2010

WASHINGTON WIZARDS TO “DONATE” BASKETS TO JUSTIN’S QUEST

Local 14-year-old to Include Total Number of Wizards’ Baskets This Season in Quest for 63,000

WASHINGTON, DC – The Washington Wizards will proudly partner with 14-year-old Justin Friedlander this season, as the team will “donate” all baskets made this season to Justin’s Quest as Justin continues his fight to raise awareness to help find a cure for brain tumors. Friedlander, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in March, 2009, launched Justin’s Quest to shoot 63,000 baskets, one for every person diagnosed with a primary brain tumor each year in the United States. Friedlander made several baskets during a time-out at a Wizards game on April 14th, 2010, and is now seeking others to join him in the quest for 63,000. Washington’s 363 combined field goals and free throws made in preseason play have been “donated” to Justin’s Quest, as will every Wizards’ basket to come from tonight’s season opener in Orlando through the NBA All-Star break in mid-February. Learn more about Justin’s Quest at www.justinsquest.com.

Mitzvah Project by Harrison

2010-10-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we received an email from Harrison that he wanted to do his Mitzvah project( this is a good deed done by an boy who is about to be Bar Mitzvahed)to benefit Justin's Quest. Of course we were honored that Harrison chose to help raise awareness and find a cure for brain tumors. On Sunday October 17th Harrison, his dad Michael, mom Juliet and younger brother Hollis organized a fantastic event at St. Stephens school in Alexandria Virginia. They invited about 100 kids and parents to shoot hoops at the school gym which would go towards Justin's total. They charged an admission and raised almost $1300.00 and shot almost 6000 baskets. Justin and I attended the event for about an hour. Justin shot 50 hoops himself and he had a great time. He got in the car with me and said dad I am tired as I shot so many baskets to make my 50. He was shooting from the 3 point line and he had such a great time. I was in awe by Harrison and his family that they took such an interest in Justin's Quest. We even met a classmate of Harrison's who has a brain tumor and we gave him and Harrison's family a wristband. Justin even gave Harrison an autographed picture with a message of Justin in front of the White House. This was our first event of the Fall and it felt great! We want to again thank Harrison and his family for all there efforts to benefit Justin's Quest.

University of Maryland Men's Soccer

2010-10-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

Friday night,October 15th was a great night for Justin's Quest. The whole family was invited to the Maryland mens soccer game against Clemson. We were treated like VIP's and had seats on the field right next to the Terp's bench.The action was incredible and we felt like we were on the field with the players. Maryland won an exciting game 3 to 2. They even announced Justin's Quest at half time and paid tribute to his efforts. We want to thank Coach Sasho and Coach Matt for the invite.

Thanks To The International Order Of The Rainbow Girls

2010-09-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

I wanted to honor the International Order of the Rainbow Girls for their generous offer to help out with Justin's Quest by posting what they have done on the blog. Please read below. Thanks again!!!!
Danielle, I cannot thank you and your organization enough for taking
such an interest in Justin's plight. We are so honored and humbled by
the Rainbow for Girls actions of kindness and spirit to help raise
awareness and find a cure for brain tumors. Justin was very excited to
read your email and he feels very proud. We are going to post your
email in our blog on our website www.justinsquest.com. Thank everyone
for us who was involved. It means so much to our family.
Warmest regards,
Jon Friedlander
ustin's dad
On Saturday, September 18, 2010, wrote:
> Dear Justin's Quest,
> the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls is a youth organization that raises money for charities throughout the world. Our assembly wants to help Junstin's Quest by shooting hoops and raising money for the cause. This is a video of some of our assembly's members and neighborhood friends also. We shot hoops for about an hour and ten minutes, in all everybody shot 395 shots. Also we are raising money by holding a car wash, so far we raised $300.
> Sincerely,
> Danielle Rowland

School Has Started!!!

2010-09-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

The new school year has started and Justin is now in 8th grade. Wow how fast time does past. We are adjusting to the hectic school/homework and sports schedule for the 4 boys. Justin is still finding spare time with his brothers to shoot hoops and get closer to his goal. He is as determined as ever to find a cure for brain tumors.

Getting Close To The Start Of School

2010-08-20T11:41:00.000-07:00

Justin is working very hard to get the most of the remaining days of his Summer trying to raise his hoop total. His friends are back from camp are working to help Justin make shots. Justin and his brothers have been shooting hoops until the wee hours of the night...way past my bedtime. They have shot 1125 hoops this week.

Vacation!

2010-08-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

Justin and his brothers are at the Eastern shore for a little rest and relaxation. But leave it up to Justin to find a hoop and shoot with his brothers in between swimming in the ocean. They have shot 585 baskets on vacation. Not too bad!!!!

Our First WNBA Game, The Washington Mystics!

2010-07-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

Please check back later today for details of our wonderful night with the Mystics! I am back sorry for the delay as we lost power due to a huge storm. Our experience at the Mystics game was very memorable. We have never been to a WNBA game and Justin was being honored as a Hometown Hero at halftime. I was so honored to receive a phone call from Nicole of Mystics about 5 weeks ago. She said the Mystics wanted to feature Justin as the Hometown Hero. I was very excited to tell Justin and the family. Of course everyone was excited especially Justin. This game was a very nice ending to an incredibly stressful week as we had another MRI for Justin to determine the status of his brain tumor. No one can really understand the stress and anxiety that parents feel and of course how Justin feels in the week leading upto the MRI and then waiting for the results. It is extremely taxing during this time because it just exacerbates our always walking on eggshells with his brain tumor. Justin did not sleep the night before the MRI as he was a wreck understandably so. The day of this MRI he was unusually nervous and he did not sleep that night also anticipating the results as he told me he does not want his tumor to grow and he was very scared. As I have told him many times before that we have the best doctors and treatment lined up to help you. Well we received GREAT NEWS on Thursday that there was no significant change in Justin's tumor...What a relief. Now we can enjoy the Mystic's game. The game on Saturday was a treat as my father and his companion were able to join us. We picked them up at 4pm and went to our favorite Chinese restaurant in Chinatown called Tony Chengs. We dined on our favorite dishes and I took Justin early from dinner as he was getting anxious because he wanted to shoot some practice hoops. We arrived at the Verizon Center at 6:10pm and hung in the gift shop until the rest of my family from dinner arrived and Chris Grundner from NBTS and Wes Johnson from Rosenberg Media. WE were all greeted by Mystic's staff and they treated us so nice, like VIP'S. Justin wanted me to ask if he could shoot some practice hoops and the Mystics obliged and he went to the Practice gym within the Verizon Center. This gym was awesome and he shot hoops with Alana Beard the star from the Mystics. She has an injured ankle and out for the season but she so graciously agreed to be the star to shoot with Justin. Alana was so sweet and nice to Justin. They shot together at the gym for about 10 minutes. The game was very exciting and then the big moment came when Justin and I were summoned to the court for an interview just before he would take center stage. It blows me away how poised Justin is when he does interviews. He wants so badly to raise awareness and find a cure and this is his passion but he also puts alot of pressure on himself. They announced why Justin was here tonight to the crowd and asked the crowd to text justin to 85944 to raise money to benefit NBTS, very COOL. Alana sank her first shot and Justin took 2 tries to sink his shot. Justin was then presented an award which was a glass trophy, it was beautiful. When we got back to our seats there were very nice people who congratulated Justin. One lady lost her husband to a brain tumor 5 years ago. It just goes to show you that this terrible disease effects so many people. The game was very exciting as the Mystics came back in the 4th quarter to cut the lead to 2 points but in the end the Indiana Fever won 78-73. We want to thank everyone from the Washington Mystics and the WNBA who made this a very special night for Justin and our family. This event again helped us raise awareness and hopefully get us one step closer to a cure. We are at 16,150 shots.

Back Down To Earth After Meeting President Obama

2010-07-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

The dust has settled from our Presidential visit and we all have come down to earth. Justin and his brothers have been shooting hoops every day to get closer to the BIG GOAL 63,000 and they made 952 shots since our visit. It seems that the meeting with President Obama made Justin even more determined to find a cure for brain tumors, which is hard to believe it is possible to increase his determination. We still cannot believe how down to earth President Obama is. GREAT NEWS, the National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS) has arranged to have texting as a means of donating to Justin's Quest in the amount of $10.00 per text. Visit the Website to view. All donations as before benefit NBTS which is the leading non-profit organization in brain tumor patient services and research. Please text justin to 85944 then you will get a reply text within 2 minutes. Text yes and your $10 donation will be made to NBTS. Please spread the word to family and friends because without funding there can be no research to find a cure. Again, thanks to everyone for your support of Justin and his Quest.

President Obama Makes Justin's Dream Come True

2010-07-06T16:01:00.001-07:00

Wow!!! I am so speechless that I cannot believe what just happened to our family. About 6 weeks ago I received a phone call on my cell with a very strange caller ID number. It was the call I was expecting, someone from the White House called to invite our family to meet President Obama. I was in shock even though I knew the call may be coming. I have to give an incredible thanks to Jay Rosenberg , Officer Edgado Cobian of the Montgomery County Police Department who was responsible for making the Police event happen at BCC High School and his associates and NBTS for making my son's dream come true. Ever since we started Justin's Quest, Justin's biggest goal was to shoot with President Obama. We thought this may happen but not this soon. Well here is the scoop. July 6, 2010 history was made for our family, Justin's Quest and the National Brain Tumor Society. I received the call from an assistant to the President who was so nice and instrumental in making this day happen. I told the kids and just our parents about the big day as we did not want to spoil any chances of our meeting happening especially since our visit could change at any time given the President's schedule and national and world events. I was trying to keep everyone's emotions in check before the big day, especially Justin's. Last night I took the family out to dinner to go over our game plan today. I was told by the assistant that we would have at the most a 5 minute meet and greet with the President in the Oval office. We discussed at dinner how to greet the President and what the kids should expect. Audrey and I said that today would be one of the most memorable and important days in all of our lives, meeting the most important man in the WORLD( President Obama). We tried putting the kids to bed early last night for everyone to be well rested for the big day. Of course who could not sleep, you guessed it, Justin. He came into our room at around 11:15pm saying he could not sleep. Audrey and I tucked him back in bed and told him how proud we are of him and that we love him very much. We knew he was nervous as this meeting was so huge for his quest to raise awareness and find a cure for brain tumors. Finally everyone got to sleep, not to mention everyone else was also nervous for the big day. The kids got up around 9:30 am and I was at work and Audrey had all the kids outfits picked out. I of course wore a suit, Audrey a pants outfit, Justin had his Justin's Quest Jersey with Blue slacks and the other kids had their Justin's Quest Polo shirts with Khaki pants. I came home early from work so we could leave by 2:30 pm for our 5 pm visit. We arrived in DC around 3:30 pm and parked at a garage near the White House. We were a bit early and stopped at a corner market for a drink. It was 100 degrees and we were all sweating so bad on our walk to the West Gate security checkpoint. We arrived at security and were cleared to enter the White House. We all received visitor passes that we wore around our necks. Justin at this point was extremely nervous. Can you imagine what is going through a 13 year olds mind who is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, who is about to have his dream come true and meet the most important man in the world and that meeting he knows will make such a huge difference in his quest. I was feeling anxious for him. We were escorted to the West Wing waiting area at around 4:10 pm, and thankfully because we all needed the air conditioning. A Marine Honor Guard opened the door for us to the white House. At that moment, I was truly blown away at what was about to happen. If you told me before March 2009 that my son would be diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and that we would start Justin's Quest to raise awareness and find a cure for brain tumors AND that we would meet the President of the United States to help our cause, I would have told anyone that they were crazy. We sat in the waiting area and everyone was as quiet as a church mouse. Finally, I broke the ice and tried to have a conversation with the Secret Service uniformed officer about why we are here. The officer was very interested in Justin's Quest and began to question the kids nicely and that helped to relax them. But Justin was obviously nervous because we knew he really wanted to make an impression on the President to convince him to shoot hoops. The pressure he put on himself was immense, but we told him do not worry. A White House Staffer came out to greet us and she was very nice. She spent the waiting time with us until and during our visit with the President. An assistant to the President came out again to tell us what was going to happen, He said" that you will line up and shake the President's hand and get a picture in the Oval office and he will spend a few seconds with Justin". At that point I was really hoping for more but I was just truly honored to be here. Then, another Whit House staffer came to us to apologize that the President is running late and we said please do not worry we are so excited to be here. At 5:22 pm came the big moment, 3 White House staffers led us back to the Oval office. The hallways were very busy as there was a large meeting in the cabinet room that just let out. We arrived just outside the Oval office door and we were greeted by 3 to 4 secret service men and chatted with staffers. Then another shocker happens, Vice President Biden comes up to us and says nicely " what are you all doing here" and I said to Justin, please tell Mr. Vice President why we are here and Justin said" I have a brain tumor and I started Justin's Quest to help find a cure and shoot 63,000 baskets for everyone who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in one year. Mr. Biden listened intently and said to Justin "that I had 2 cranialotomies which is different than a brain tumor but similar and that you will be OK" His words of encouragement really meant so much. As we were still talking to the Vice President the door to the Oval office opens and President Obama joyfully asked what is going on out here. He greets the boys first and asked their names and he joked that there is a common theme here with all "J" names. He invited us in and asked how many shots we have made so far and Justin said 15,000, The President had us pose for a picture in the Oval office and then he said" I know that shooting does not fit in my schedule but we are gonna do it anyway". The President then took of his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and we were led outside of the Oval office to the Presidential basketball court by secret service to shoot hoops. Our jaws all hit the floor. As were walking down to the court we conversed with the President and I thanked him and told him that we were so honored and humbled that he took the time out of his incredibly busy schedule to meet us and take an interest in Justin's plight and he said he was honored to meet Justin. The President was incredibly nice and personable. He truly was an awesome man who seemed like a regular guy that happened to be the most important man in the world. We arrived at the court and he said that he and each kid had to make a basket. Justin went first and he was nervous, it took him 3 tries to make a free throw. Jacob made a basket in 2 tries, Jordan 3 tries and Joey 6 tries. But guess what, the folklore about the President being a great ball player was true, he sank his first shot. The President came up to Justin after everyone made their shots and gave him a fist bump, VERY COOL. Those 5 shots took us to 15,005 shots made. The White House photographer took pictures of all the kids and the President shooting hoops. We gave the President and his family each a Justin's Quest Jersey and wristbands. The President signed a basketball and Brian presented Justin with a goody bag that included a frisbee signed by the President, a Presidential YOYO, A medal, and Presidential M&M's candy. All I can say is that we are all blown away and want to thank all those who were involved in making this monumental day happen. Hopefully this will put Justin's Quest and NBTS to a new level of awareness that will raise money and help find a cure for brain tumors. President Obama we are truly indebted to you for our visit and thank you very much as you left a wonderful lasting impression on our family and especially Justin!!!!!

NBA Nation in Philadelphia

2010-06-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

Saturday June 26th the NBA again was so gracious in inviting our family to their event to help raise awareness for Justin's Quest. We left our house at 10 am and drove up 2 hours to the event in Great Plaza at Penn's Landing over looking the water. We arrived at 1:15pm and we received again VIP treatment from the NBA. We had VIP parking and the NBA had a area sectioned off with drinks and food for us and their employees. They gave Justin some goodies. It was a very hot day and Justin could not wait to get on his assigned basketball court, Kia Motors sponsored court. But first we had to go to the section where the Taste of Philadelphia was happening. What do you think we ate, obviously steak and cheeses subs as Philly is so famous for this delicacy. Justin also had to get a Cinnamon pretzel. The kids were well fed and hydrated and Justin insisted that we start shooting to warm up. The NBA Nation had arranged that Justin's Quest had the use of the court from 3-4pm for the crowd to shoot free throws to count towards our 63,000 goal. Justin and his brothers warmed up for about 15 minutes before and made 32 shots. The time came and the surprise guests,former 76'ers NBA player Darryl Dawkins, AKA Chocolate Thunder, and Thaddeus Young from the 76'ers current team. I told the kids about Darryl Dawkins that morning and showed them the youtube video of him shattering the backboard with one of his monstrous dunks, the kids were amazed. I shook Darryl's hand and his hand was so huge that my hand disappeared. Justin and the boys were so excited to meet Darryl and Thaddeus. Both men picked up Justin to have him dunk the ball. Every 5 minutes the PA announcers would announce for people to participate in Justin's Quest and and tell them why Justin was there and what his quest was. Audrey and I looked at each other in amazement that the NBA is helping us out and that is is all about Justin and his quest to find a cure for brain tumors. It still stings when we hear the description that " Justin is a 13 year old boy diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor". WE feel so proud of Justin and his brothers for what they are doing. They made 272 shots during the hour and Darryl made the last free throw which he shot one handed. After Justin's event was over, we watched the slam dunk contest and that was awesome. Justin again was all smiles but very determined to make his shots especially when the TV cameras were on him, he turns into a NBA pro and swishes his shots. We want to give a big THANK YOU to The NBA and NBA Nation for allowing us to participate in their event and help us raise awareness for brain tumors.

NBA Fit Clinic in New York

2010-06-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

June 23rd was an amazing day for Justin and his Quest. The NBA and The NBA Cares Program invited Justin and the family to Madison Square Garden in New York for their NBA Fit Clinic. The NBA was so gracious in having us part of this wonderful event. Justin could not sleep the night before because he was excited about the event. I got the kids up, Justin, Jacob and Joey at 6am to get ready. Unfortunately, Jordan and Audrey could not attend as Jordan had a college recruitment camp for soccer and she had to take him to southern Virginia. We left the house to go to the train station for a 8:20am train. The boys have never been on a train and were very excited for the ride. We met Jeff Kolodin, Vice Chair of NBTS, his son Michael and Chris Grundner with NBTS on the train. We arrived in New York at 12:30 pm and had a wonderful lunch at a diner nearby the Garden. Justin was getting antsy and he wanted to get to the Garden to practice shooting, so Chris called his NBA contact and they let us into the locker room where they had drinks and snacks for us and a special goody bag for Justin with alot of NBA gear. Wow we were being treated like VIP's. Justin and the boys took to the court and started shooting hoops before the event started at 3pm. The clinic was hosted by former NBA player's Bob Lanier and Felipe Lopez. Then the top 15 draft prospects arrived to do drills with the kids at the different stations set up on the court in the Garden. Before the festivities started Bob Lanier had some very kind words to say about Justin and his quest and how proud he was of Justin. Again, as a father seeing in disbelief that your son who has a brain tumor is making such a huge difference in trying to find a cure for brain tumors is incredibly emotional. You would think it would be easier for me to witness these events but I am filled with such emotion about the enormity of the situation that it is an awesome sight. Justin had a chance to shoot hoops and meet the draftees and especially John Wall who was drafted by the Washington Wizards. There were 100 boys and girls from the New York area that participated in the event. All of the shots that were made counted towards Justin's Quest. Overall 519 baskets were made and added to our total of 14,100. At the end of the event Justin was presented with 2 huge surprises, 2 signed basketballs, 1 signed by President Obama and the other by the 15 top draftees. Justin was very excited he has quite a collection of signed basketballs. You could see in his face his smile and the determination that he is raising awareness and trying to find a cure for brain tumors. Then we stayed after the event was over to do TV interviews. We left the Garden for our 5:40pm train at Penn station for a quick dinner in the station. I was mentally wiped and emotionally drained from the day. I got on the train had the 4 boys sit together and I sat behind them to watch them. Justin and I feel asleep for a bit. We got home around 10 pm. I want to thank the NBA and NBA Cares program for making this happen especially Eric DiMiceli, Alexandra Olson, Madeline Wehle Crandall, Jonathan Hammond, Todd Jacobson, Ahyian Deldridge all from the NBA. Also a big thanks for Chris Grundner from NBTS who was very instrumential in putting this together for Justin's Quest, Neil Keller a friend who has helped with his NBA contacts and Jeff Kolodin in working his magic in conjunction with the NBA to get the basketball signed by the President.

World Cup Soccer Weekend

2010-06-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

The worlds most popular sporting event started this weekend. What does Justin do...he and his brothers watch the soccer games and shoot hoops downstairs to add to his Quest. It was a busy weekend for the family but Justin and his brothers managed to shoot 200 shots. School is almost out and off to the beach for the family. Justin has already staked out several basketball hoops to shoot hoops at the beach. The family is excited to get away.

Lakers v Celtics Game 1

2010-06-04T03:46:00.000-07:00

Justin was very excited about the NBA finals. Justin and his brothers watched the game and played alot of basketball in the basement hoop room. They played horse, knockout and games. It was hard to get them to bed. It was showers, snacks and off to bed by 10:30 pm past their bedtime. Overall they shot 250 baskets.

The Great Shoot Around With The Montgomery County Police

2010-05-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

May 24th was a great day for Justin's Quest. Justin had the honor and pleasure to meet with about 25 Montgomery County Police officers to shoot hoops at BCC High School gym in Bethesda MD. Audrey and I were so humbled that these brave men and women who lay down their lives every day to protect the citizens took the time out of their busy schedule to honor Justin and shoot hoops. There were TV cameras present and we were interviewed. Again, I am still in awe at the sight of my son making a difference to raise awareness and find a cure for brain tumors. I still have pinch myself that it is my son who has the brain tumor. The officers were so great with Justin and made him feel special. Asst. Chief of Police Jerman and Commander Hamill presented Justin with a beautiful certificate of appreciation. Justin was so happy to receive this at he was so excited about the recognition of his hard work. As I do these interviews, it does not get any easier to talk about my son's diagnosis as I still get choked up at these events and the out pouring of support and kind words of encouragement. It is an awesome sight for any parent to be a part of and I use the word awesome because there are so many emotions going through your mind. But most of all We are just so proud of Justin and what he is doing. Justin and the officers did a shoot around and played knockout. Overall 165 shots were made today. We thanked the officers so much for what they have done and some of them told us that Justin touched them dearly and emotionally. We want to thank all those who attended and helped organize the event. We want to give a special thanks to Jay Rosenberg for helping organize this event, he has been so great in helping to spearhead Justin's Quest. I want to also personally thank Officer Cobian who was instrumental in organizing the event. He was fantastic with Justin and even gave him a "tour" of his police cruiser. Another successful event and many more to come.

Robert Frost Middle School

2010-05-20T01:16:00.000-07:00

I received a phone call from Dr. Jones, the principal from Robert Frost Middle School that he wanted to have the annual student /Faculty basketball game benefit Justin's Quest. This is the school that Justin attends and he is in his first year there. We were so honored and humbled by this most generous gesture. The event took place on Tuesday May 18th. They had Justin and a faculty member do an announcement over the loud speaker on May 12th about the event. Justin was reading over his speech to me the night before. Again, I still cannot believe that our son has such poise to tell the world that he has a brain tumor. The speech went over well and the school sold out the 350 tickets. The gym was at capacity. The Washington Redskins were so generous to have representing the organization at this event Ken Harvey, former pro bowl linebacker and Gary Clark, former pro bowl wider receiver and surprise guest Greivis Vasquez, University of MD basketball superstar. Again ,what an event. The games started and at halftime Dr. Jones gave a speech about Justin. This was the first time my father and father in law were in town to witness such an awesome scene. It was emotional to watch my father with tears streaming down his face listen intently to Dr. Jones describe his grandson with an inoperable brain tumor being so strong. It was a chance for him to see first hand what I have been talking about regarding these emotional events. To watch the student body applaud so loud for Justin when he, Greivis, Ken Harvey, Gary Clark and Dr. Jones made 19 shots at the 5 minute halftime was awesome. Justin was all smiles. Ken and Gary presented Justin with a signed Santana Moss jersey and Greivis most generously gave Justin his red watch. Justin wears it proudly. The school was going to donate an additional $100 if Greivis made a half court shot and guess what, The man swished it. Overall the school raised over $1000 for Justin's Quest. We are so grateful to the Frost community for taking an interest in Justin's Plight, so a big thank you goes to all who made this event happen.

Cavs Lose To The Celtics

2010-05-14T12:34:00.000-07:00

Justin and the family were all geared up to watch game 6 of the big series. Justin was wearing all his LeBron and Cavs gear and was very fired up. The whole family was shooting baskets downstairs before and during the game. It was a close game but in the end his team the Cavs lost. Justin was devastated by the loss. Overall we shot 150 baskets.

Mother's Day Weekend

2010-05-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

It was a good weekend for Justin having a dent made in his Quest. His brothers and him shot most of their free time this weekend and they made 500 shots. They shot outside and in the basement. Sunday was a little limited in time as it was Mom's day.

DC Race For Hope Weekend

2010-05-02T13:07:00.000-07:00

This is the 1 year anniversary of our first Race for Hope. Last year we entered just 2 weeks after Justin was diagnosed and quite frankly we still were in shock over him having a brain tumor. Wow time flies I cannot believe 1 year has past that fast. Justin started the weekend by going to soccer practice and he had a sleep over with 4 boys Friday night. They all shot hoops for most of the night and had alot of fun. They shot 250 baskets. Saturday Justin and his brothers shot hoops and made 50 shots. Sunday Morning we left at 7 am to go to the Race for Hope. Justin put on his yellow survivor shirt. It blows me away to see my son wearing that yellow shirt which denotes that he is a survivor, thank God he is a survivor, but that he even has a brain tumor is still shocking. It is like wearing the scarlet A but in a positive sense because he is with us. Unfortunately, the event has families who have lost loved ones and that just breaks our hearts. We took 2 cars to the event as Jordan, Justin and Jacob all had soccer games at 1pm so we had to divide and conquer to get them there. I drove with Justin and he was very tired and a little apprehensive. The race went well ,we had alot of team members and want to thank all of the people who joined Justin's team. We are grateful for the support. It was a very hot day. The event brings out so many emotions, as it is so hard to describe because our family is sad to see Justin go through this but our whole family is very sad for all the families effected by this terrible disease. Justin and his brothers got a picture with David Cook and Greivis Vasquez who came out for support. That was so nice. Justin walked with his friends and Audrey and I and Joey jogged about half the race and walked the rest. It was packed. To make it more emotional for Audrey and I, we are taking Justin to Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Center tomorrow because Justin has to be seen by their top endocrinologist because he is not growing. Justin saw our endo. doc this Wednesday and she was very concerned about his lack of growth and the brain tumor. Sloan was great in getting us this appointment so quickly. I just told Justin at 3:30pm Sunday as not to stress him out this weekend. We will leave at 3am Monday to be in New York. I told Justin and he is nervous, but I told him everything will be OK. His 3 brothers are so special in supporting him as they are hanging with him to comfort him. We are taking the family out for their favorite restaurant, Rio Grande and Carvels for ice cream, Justin's request. He is excited to get his usual hotdog in New York from the corner vendor. Overall a very humbling weekend that will bring additional challenges for our family after our Sloan visit tomorrow. Thanks again for our family and friends who came out to the walk and support. We are very appreciative.

University of Maryland Men's Soccer 1 UVA 0

2010-04-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

Friday April 23rd was another great night for Justin. Terps Coach, Sasho Cirovski has been so instrumental in Justin's Quest. He has personally taken Justin under his wing to help raise awareness and find a cure for brain tumors. Coach Sasho came out with the below press release:
Terps vs. Cavaliers at the SoccerPlex

Come out and watch the Maryland Men’s Soccer team take on Virginia to raise awareness of brain tumors by spotlighting Justin’s Quest.
Tickets are $5 for Maryland students with a valid ID and youth under the age of 12. Adult tickets are $10. All tickets will be sold at the gate only and on a cash-only basis.
Justin’s Quest was founded by the Friedlander family after their son Justin was diagnosed with a brain tumor in March of 2009. Justin was chosen to be Maryland’s honorary captain on the bench in the NCAA Elite Eight rematch against the Cavs while a portion of the proceeds raised at the gate will go directly to the National Brain Tumor Society. Justin’s Quest is aiming to raise $250,000 for the society while shooting 40,000 baskets, one for every person diagnosed with a brain tumor this year. Members of the men’s soccer team shot baskets with Justin earlier this year.
Visit the Terps website for more information.
This press release led to over 1000 people to attend the game. Further, Top Drawer Soccer televised the game via webcast and they were so awesome as their TV analyst Keith Tabatznik interviewed Justin and I and Justin with star guest Greivis Vasquez, Terps basketball star and future NBA star. Keith has been so nice in supporting our family from the beginning of Justin's diagnosis and we really appreciate what he has done. Before the game started Justin and Greivis were at center field for the national anthem and Justin kicked the ceremonial first ball. Justin was all smiles. Then the game started and Justin sat on the bench with all the Terp players for the whole game. The Terps were so nice to him and Justin before the game gave each player one of his yellow Justin's Quest Wristbands and they wore them proudly. Halftime was a treat as Justin and Greivis had a speed contest with each person having to run the whole field while putting on a shirt, shorts and dribbling a ball across the whole soccer field and then score a goal. Justin won as Greivis slipped twice and Justin only once. The game was very physical and well played. Maryland was the better team that night. At the end of the game Top Drawer Soccer presented Justin with a $1000 check. That was so generous of them and we cannot thank them enough. They gave Justin a large cardboard version of the check for the presentation. Justin loved it so much and was proud of it he placed it over his bed. The Terps donated a portion of the gate proceeds which was $1500 and that was so generous. It was a great evening had by all.
We are so thankful for all the soccer fans that attended the game and all the people who were involved in the organizing and participating in this event.

All Aboard

2010-04-24T02:44:00.001-07:00

Thursday night April 22nd was an awesome night because DC 50 TV graciously provided there limo/bus for transportation to the Lavar Arrington/ Chad Dukes radio show on the Fan 106.7 and to the sports bar Icons for a taping of Sports Week hosted by Lavar and Chad. The neat thing about this event was the ability for us to invite some of our family and some of Justin's friends to this event to share in our joy first hand at a wonderful event. The bus came to our house and about 20 people piled in on the way to Lavar'as radio show. The kids were very excited to be on this awesome bus. We were scheduled to be on the show at 5:30 PM. We arrived a bit early and our entourage eagerly and excitedly marched into the radio station. The staff of the Fan 106.7 were very nice to all of us. The moment came when our segment was going to start. We went into the tiny studio and as before Lavar was as gracious as ever as he greeted Justin and our family. My brothers Gary and Bobby were like little kids waiting to meet a sports legend. Again, Lavar was awesome with the rest of the posse. We got to meet Lavar's sidekick Chad Dukes and he was very funny and compassionate towards our cause. We had a treat and also met Redskin Lorenzo Alexander and saw again Matt Cahill, Lavar's producer who is fantastic. The time came for us to do our segment and the posse has never seen a radio studio and again Lavar was unbelievable and let everyone pack the studio like sardines. All of our guests were as quiet as church mice while Justin, myself and Jeff Kolodin, Vice chair of NBTS, took our seats at the microphones and began to talk and be interviewed. Again, I was blown away at Justin's poise in speaking and this time it was Justin's first appearance on live radio. Lavar and Chad were great in letting us tell our story and they promoted the website and our cause significantly. The Posse were in amazement at the whole event and Audrey and I were glad to see them share in this. The radio show was a huge boost to raising awareness and finding a cure for brain tumors.Our segment Lavar's show during the best part of the drive home segment and NFL draft night was huge. Our live segment was about 25 minutes. The fun did not stop there. The bus took us to Icons Sports Bar for the taping of Lavar's TV show. Justin appeared on the show with Lorenzo Alexander. Again, it was a great experience for all, as most of us had not seen a TV show taping. Again, Justin was as cool as a cucumber and charmed the crowd. People came over to him and were so amazed by Justin and were so inspired. Lavar was great as he posed for pictures and signed autographs for the posse. A highlight of the evening for Audery and I was our meeting with Howard Rosenberg, who is a brain tumor survivor and brother to Jay Rosenberg. Jay has been so instrumental in jump starting Justin's Quest into high gear. Howard was diagnosed at the age of 13 years old and over 40 years ago they did not even have anything close to our technology as we have today. The significance of this meeting was to see get some insight into the Rosenberg family brain tumor saga because I now have a better understanding why Jay is so passionate about Justin's Quest. Jay was like my 3 boys today in dealing with a brother that has a brain tumor and he understands what my boys 3 other boys are going through. Howard was a true inspiration to Justin and our family. A 25 year old gentlemen came over to us and wanted to meet Justin. He was a 5 year cancer survivor and was blown away by Justin's courage and desire. I sat back and watched the whole evening as the kids ate dinner and watched the NFL draft in awe and disbelief as I had to pinch myself to do a gut check because I cannot believe what we are doing to make a difference and that is my son who has the brain tumor who is spearheading this cause. The bus took us home and it was a great night had by all. Again, a big thanks goes to the folks at DC 50 TV and The Fan 106.7

Under The Weather

2010-04-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

Justin has had a cold the past couple of days. No problem for him in shooting hoops, as he said to us that he needs to make baskets. He and his brothers shot 150 hoops the past 2 days. Justin will also be doing Lavar Arrington's radio show on this Thursday. Justin is brushing up on his football draft day picks.

NBA Playoff Weekend

2010-04-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

Justin is very excited for the NBA playoffs starting this weekend. As you can imagine it was a big basketball weekend for Justin and his brothers shooting hoops for Justin's Quest. They shot hoops at different times during the weekend. They shot a total of 450 hoops this weekend. This week is a big week for Justin's Quest. On Thursday DC 50 TV station is sending there limo bus to pick up the family and some people helping us out. They are taking us to the sports bar called Icons to watch the taping of the TV show called Sports Week hosted by Lavar Arrington and Chad Dukes. They did a segment on Justin which will air next Sunday. This Friday Justin will be the honorary captain for the University of Maryland Men's soccer team in their match against UVA at the Germantown Soccerplex. Justin is very excited for the big week.

Wizards Win Season Final Versus The Pacers 98-97

2010-04-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

What a special night last night. We received a call this week from former Redskin superstar, Lavar Arrington's producer Matt Cahill that they were interested in doing a feature on Justin's Quest on Lavar's TV show with DC 50. They had an idea that Justin would shoot hoops at the Verizon Center during the Wizards last game during a TV timeout. That alone was a huge gesture to help spread the word. But wait, it gets better, Brian Sereno, Director of Public Relations for the Wizards turned this night into a huge event for our family. Brian, sent a press release from the Wizards about Justin's Quest to all the media Thursday. Well that got the ball rolling. I received a phone call at 4:20 pm Thursday from Lindsay Czarniak, sports anchor for NBC 4, and she wanted to interview Justin and I live from the Verizon Center court at 5:45pm. We raced down to the Verizon Center and were greeted by Brian. Brian himself is a brain tumor survivor of 18 months and a true inspiration. Brian treated our family like VIP's, we went to the locker room before the game and met the Wizards' players and had a basketball signed by them. Justin and his brothers acted as ball boys getting rebounds during the warm up. We had floor seats on center court, the best seats in the house. The night was incredible as Justin and the family were interviewed by other TV stations and that helped us spread the word. Justin was so cool and collected as he described his ordeal to the public. The big event came after the 2nd TV timeout in the 2nd quarter. Justin was going to to shoot hoops in front of the crowd and Lavar Arrington was going to rebound for him. The time came and a very energetic female MC came over to Justin during the timeout and interviewed Justin and the whole crowd could hear it on the PA system. What really moved me was after she asked Justin what is Justin's Quest she then asked him "why are you doing Justin's Quest" and he said with confidence that I HAVE A BRAIN TUMOR to the thousands in attendance. At that moment I was blown away by this kid who will make such a difference in raising awareness and find a cure for brain tumors. You could see the determination on his face and at the same time he was having fun. He made 2 out of 3 shots and the crowd went nuts. At the end of the game after the Wizards won a nail bitter, Andre Blatche, the Wizard's star player came over to Justin and gave him his head band and warmup shirt. Justin's eye lit up and he held those mementos closely and told Audrey that she cannot wash them even though they were very sweaty. A special thanks goes to the whole Wizards organization for allowing Justin to do this night and to Eric Meyrowitz of DC 50. Overall Justin and his brothers made 20 shots. What a night to remember. It is hard to believe that so many people care about Justin's Quest.

Sunny Weekend

2010-04-12T03:27:00.000-07:00

It was a good weekend for shooting hoops for Justin's Quest. Justin and his brothers shot hoops outside and inside each day. The total hoops made were 600, a very productive weekend!!

Big Couple Of Days

2010-04-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

After Justin appeared on National TV last Friday, he was determined to shoot alot of hoops to put a dent in his quest. Justin, his brothers and cousins shot 750 baskets from Saturday through Tuesday. That was a great accomplishment. Back to school today as Spring Break ended. Justin was excited to see all his friends at school.

NATIONAL TV THE CBS EARLY SHOW

2010-04-04T05:39:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not writing this blog earlier but the whole family was still in a daze from the events on Friday. We received a call from the CBS producers that they wanted to do a segment on Justin's Quest. We were so honored by this. Well come to learn that TV productions happen last minute and we received confirmation late Wednesday of the big day. CBS booked the 6 of us: myself, Audrey, Jordan, Justin, Jacob and Joey on the Delta Shuttle and 2 rooms at the Le Meridian hotel. By the way this day would not have happened if it were not for the efforts of Jay Rosenberg and Eric Shuster of Comcast Sports Net securing the surprise guest Greivis Vasquez for the show. Greivis was supposed to be in Indy Thursday for a dinner that night before his presentation of the Bob Cousy award for the best point guard in college basketball. He jumped at the chance to help Justin, that shows what great character this man has. Not only did Jay make the contact to get Greivis he personally flew him up on his private plane to make all this happen. Justin and his brothers had NO IDEA that Greivis was going to surprise them at the set. We landed at Laguardia airport in New York at 5:30 pm and CBS arranged for a black SUV to pick us up. You could see the smiles on the kids faces. We got to the hotel and of course the first stop was Justin's favorite store, the NBA store. We shopped frantically as we had a 8 pm reservation at Carmens for a fantastic Italian dinner with our family and a Chris Grundner, a member of NBTS. We got back to the hotel and Justin wanted to sleep with me as Audrey and I sensed he was a little nervous about the segment, you would never know it because he acted like an elite athlete getting ready for the big game. You could feel and see the determination on his face both days as he wanted the public to understand his story and raise awareness about brain tumors and help others. He finally he got to sleep around 11:30 pm as I was up on my computer doing work for my company. He finally said " dad you have to get in bed with me and hug me or I cannot fall asleep", of course I obliged. The morning came quick as I slept very little. I got ready around 5 am and got the rest of the family up at 6 am to get ready for our car to take us to CBS studio at 7 am. We arrived at CBS at 7:15 am and were greeted by Carl and Maricar the wonderful producers from CBS. We were led downstairs to a conference room which had breakfast for us. The staff treated us great. Myself and Justin were nervous as both of us had never been on National TV. We both had our game faces on. Audrey and I were nervous for Justin. Again, he was very excited for this segment because he knew that because of CBS's generosity he would take a huge leap forward in his goal with Justin's Quest. At 8 am they took Justin and I to the makeup room and I joked with Justin that he was going to get lipstick and eye shadow, he laughed. Again, you could see the determination of this boy to make a difference for people afflicted with this disease. The time came for us to go to the plaza and they had Justin and his brothers shoot hoops 5 minutes before the segment. We were fitted with mics and then it happened so fast. Harry Smith from the CBS Early Show greeted us and was so awesome in giving words of encouragement. We gave most of the staff we dealt with Justin's Quest wristbands and they happily wore them. Then ACTION, the interview started and it was so exciting. Of course the best part was the Greivis Vasquez surprise. Justin's face lit up with such surprise and the biggest smile I have seen from him since he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After the segment was over we spent about 10 private minutes with Greivis and his cousin Ruben as Greivis had to catch a plane to Indy. Greivis was so incredible and genuine in his care and concern for Justin's plight. He even gave Justin his wristband that he has worn for 5 years from his high school Montrose Christian and signed a basketball for Justin along with a signed hat and tshrt. Justin was so honored to get the wristband. Greivis had to leave for a flight to make his award ceremony in Indy by 1:30 pm. All we can say is a huge thank you to Greivis for taking the time out of his busy schedule to do this, he is so awesome, it is an experience the whole family will not forget. We want to thank the CBS Early Show for honoring our family with this segment because they have helped further the cause of Justin's Quest as we received numerous emails and donations from this segment. BUT WAIT it did not stop that day. Jay had arranged another surprise for Justin and the family. He arranged for us to shoot hoops with 2 of the band members of OAR, Benj and Mark at Battery Park. Mind you these guys are superstars, who happened to grow up about 2 miles from where we live and they were 2 of the most down to earth people you would have ever met. They spent about 45 minutes with us shooting hoops and talking with us. If you never knew who these guys were you would not believe that they were rock stars as they are so grounded and humble. They blew me away by their compassion and concern for Justin. We cannot wait to see them in concert in August as they want to help with Justin's Quest. They even offered to hang with us at a barbecue when they come down to the DC area. We cannot wait. We left them and had pizza and shopped some more then went home and have been in a daze from all the excitement. For 2 days our family felt like VIP's and had so much fun but what we all discussed on the plane that what we were most proud of, was the accomplishment that we made a huge leap in advancing Justin's Quest. At the end of the day all that matters is that we try to help others with this terrible disease. Audrey and I are so proud of our kids and especially Justin for wearing his emotions on his sleeve for the world to see and sacrifice himself for the good of others afflicted with this disease. Again, Thank you to all those involved in making this day happen and hopefully the National Brain Tumor Society is one step closer to making a cure for brain tumors happen. that day 25 hoops were made.

Spring Break

2010-04-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

The family was away for at the Eastern Shore for a couple of days. Unfortunately it poured down rain the whole time so only 10 hoops were shot. We got a call from the producers of the CBS Early Show and they are going to do a segment on Justin's Quest in the 8 O'clock hour this Friday April 2ND, probably around 8:30AM. This is LIVE NATIONAL TV. Justin and the family are very excited. In preparation, Justin and his 3 brothers shot hoops last night and made 50 shots.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

2010-03-27T01:43:00.000-07:00

MRI day is certainly one of the most stressful days for us and any family dealing with a child having a brain tumor. The MRI lets us know if we get another pass on treatment of the tumor or go into battle mode and treat the tumor. We left at 3:30am Thursday morning to make the 4 1/2 hour trip upto Sloan Kettering. Justin as always, for all his MRI's is very nervous, anxious and scared. Wednesday night like always before a big test, he asks if he can sleep in our bed and of course we say yes. He feel asleep in between Audrey and I. We woke Justin up at 3:15am and he did not want to go, but we put him in the car and thankfully he fell asleep for most of the car ride. We arrived in New York 8am and parked the car in the hospital garage. Justin was very hungry so we had breakfast at a diner near Sloan. One of the benefits of going to Sloan for Justin is he loves the New York hot dogs on the street corner and sure enough after he ate french toast he said " I need a hot dog" and of course we obliged. This was Justin's first MRI that was not sedated so he did not have to fast. We did not have to be at our appointment until 10am so we tried to walk around to keep Justin's mind off his test. Justin got anxious and wanted to go in to the pediatric day hospital early at Sloan. Unfortunately, the scene in the waiting room is one of the saddest experiences any parent will see. There are little children with cancer who have no hair because of chemo, children walking with IV pools and generally a very somber atmosphere. As a parent it is very hard to witness this as you feel so bad for these undeserving children with cancer, but when you are here getting testing for your own child it is incredibly surreal. Justin went into the play area to play Xbox. Justin is such a champ he does not even flinch when he gets his IV put in by the nurse. Our MRI was scheduled for 11:30am but they took us early. Since Justin did this MRI without sedation I was able go back and be with him to comfort him. He was incredibly nervous about the exam and pending results. Fortunately, he received some medicine before the MRI to try and relax him. As he was going into the machine he asked me to rub his legs and feet and talk to him about LeBron James. I talked to him to try and comfort him while rubbing his legs and feet the whole time. He could barley hear me as the MRI machine was so loud. Fortunately, he fell asleep about half way through the MRI. Finally, we finished 1 hour later and I carried him over my shoulders to the waiting room as he was still sleeping. We waited nervously for another hour to see the doctor for an exam and for the results and thank GOD we got a pass as Justin's brain tumor remained stable. We were getting ready to leave and get our car from the garage attendants at Sloan when Justin met a 5 year old boy named Jimmy who left a lasting impression on all of us but especially Justin. Jimmy has cancerous tumors in his eyes where he unfortunately lost one eye and is almost blind in the other eye. This boy was so cute and him and Justin interacted for about 5 minutes with Jimmy's favorite parking attendant named Randolph. You could see the sadness and concern in Justin's eyes for Jimmy's situation. Justin wanted to stay in touch with Jimmy so we gave them a Justin's Quest card with our information to send us an email with their contact information. We got into the car and Justin said he wants to work harder at Justin's Quest to help Jimmy and others. We got pizza for the car ride home. It is days like this as a parent with a child with a very serious medical condition, that you reflect and try and appreciate every moment you have with that child and your family. Lastly, Justin had a hard time sleeping that night because he was so concerned for Jimmy and he wanted to help find a cure so Jimmy could see again. We are so proud of Justin and his resolve to fight for the brain tumor community.

The Big Break

2010-03-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

Today was truly amazing for Justin. Justin was invited to shoot hoops with the University of Maryland men's soccer team at the Comcast Center. Coach Sasho Cirovski invited Justin and our family to meet some of his players and shoot hoops. Justin and his brothers' Jacob and Joey played knockout and a full court game. It was awesome. Sasho even presented Justin with an autographed ball from the whole team and an authentic MD soccer jersey. What made this day even more special was the TV news coverage we received from Fox 5 news and from WJLA. Go to http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/sports/justins-quest-shoot-hoops-for-cure-brain-tumor-032310 and to http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0310/718807_video.html?ref=newsstory to watch the news coverage of the event. Justin was so excited that he got to meet all the wonderful people today and see himself on TV. He really feels like he is making a difference by raising awareness and trying to find a cure for brain tumors. We want to thank ZiZ, the Associate AD Of Maryland and Sasho for making this wonderful day happen. Justin cannot fall asleep tonight as he is so excited from today. Overall 110 shots were made that day.

Bullis School 3 V 3 Tournament

2010-03-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

The Bullis School was so gracious in having a 3 V 3 basketball tournament where all the proceeds would benefit Justin's Quest and NBTS. The event was a huge success as about 100 people attended and raised almost $1000. Justin had a great time as he played on 2 different senior teams and he even scored 2 baskets. Everyone was so nice to Justin and our family. We appreciated the opportunity to raise awareness and money to help find a cure for brain tumors. Overall, that night 500 shots were made toward our goal and Justin and his brothers and cousins shot another 125 shots over the weekend.

A Wonderful Meeting With Senator Casey Of PA

2010-03-19T08:36:00.000-07:00

Justin, Myself, Audrey, Jeff Kolodin Vice Chair of NBTS, and his 2 kids, Lauren and Michael had the esteem pleasure and honor to meet Senator Robert Casey, Jr. of PA for about one hour in his private office. Senator Casey listened intently as we discussed Justin's Quest to help raise awareness and find a cure for brain tumors. It was clear that the Senator was moved by Justin's story and would like to shoot hoops with Justin. Senator Casey's office was the office that President Kennedy used when he was a Senator. The history of the building was amazing. Justin posed with pictures with the Senator and Justin gave him an autographed picture of himself and a Justin's Quest wristband and the Senator autographed a basketball for Justin. The Senator was gracious and gave Justin a memento from the funeral of his father the late Governor Robert Casey Sr.. It was a card that described what a wonderful and strong person his father was. Senator Casey pulled Justin aside and described this card and told Justin how strong and courageous his father was in fighting his illness. Senator Casey said that Justin has those same qualities and praised Justin and everyone in the room were very moved by his kind words. Lastly, before we all said our goodbyes, Justin asked the Senator to deliver his handwritten message to President Obama telling him about his quest and inviting the President to shoot with him. Senator Casey agreed to deliver Justin's letter. It was a great day!

Rainy Weekend

2010-03-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

It poured all weekend, so it was an indoor basketball shooting weekend. Justin had 3 friends sleep over Friday, Brian, Isaac and Justin. They shoot hops and played video games. They shot a total of 200 hoops Friday night and Saturday Morning. Today Justin and his brothers shot another 75. Time for bed early because everyone is tired from Daylight savings time.

University Of Maryland Women's Soccer Team

2010-03-11T03:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a special day not only for Justin but his 2 younger brothers' Jacob and Joey. Coach Brian Pensky of the U of MD womens' soccer team had contacted me weeks ago very interested in Justin's plight. He expressed interest to help out Justin in any way. He graciously invited Justin to meet his team at a practice and then we will arrange a day very soon to shoot with the team for Justin's Quest. Well the day came and Justin, Jacob and Jory eagerly came to the practice prepared all decked out in soccer gear to participate. To our surprise Coach Pensky, gave the kids authentic Maryland soccer gear in the parking lot. You could see the little smile on their faces and appreciation. Then they met the girls, need I say more. The girls were so nice and the boys had sheepish grins on their faces. Coach Pensky and his assistants were great as they invited the boys to do drills with the girls and they eagerly participated and then the boys helped coach a scrimmage. It was a great day because not only was Justin excited but Jacob and Joey got some much needed attention. The day ended with a group picture and an exchange with Justin that the team will be in touch with Justin via facebook. We are so appreciative that Coach Pensky and the team gave the kids this great experience. After practice Justin and his brothers came home and shot 70 baskets outside.

Washington Capitals vs Dallas Stars

2010-03-09T17:02:00.000-08:00

What an unbelievable night yesterday. Justin and I were invited by Raul Fernandez, one of the Capitals' owners to attend the game versus the Dallas Stars in the owners suite. Justin was so excited and so was I. The suite was beautiful and had a great view of the ice. There was so much food. Justin had carrots, m&ms, popcorn and soda. That was for starters. In between the first break they served us an elaborate dinner in a private dinning room. The game was so exciting as it was Justin's first hockey game. The game went into overtime and then a shootout and unfortunately the Caps lost. The best part of the night for Justin was how nice Raul Fernandez and Ted Leonsis, the majority owner of the Capitals, were to him. Justin was so excited as he said to me" dad it is so cool and nice of these very important men are concerned about me, it makes me feel special". Also, today Justin shot hoops outside with his 3 brothers and totaled 75 hoops. Lastly and very exciting ,was Justin and the family were interviewed for an article for the Bethesda magazine.

Sunny Weekend

2010-03-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

The weather was awesome finally. Justin and his friends, Isaac and Brian shot hoops on Friday after school outside and in the basement. They shot a total of 75 baskets. Saturday and Sunday Justin shot outside with his brothers and cousin Jared. They shot a total of 175 baskets.

The Sun Is Coming Out

2010-03-04T13:39:00.000-08:00

Finally the weather has been better so Justin can shoot some hoops outside. This week Justin and his brothers after homework shot hoops and played games. This week 200 shots were made.

Big Time Basketball Games

2010-03-01T18:14:00.000-08:00

Justin, myself and his 3 brothers played alot of games against each other this weekend. You could say it was a big tournament. It was very tiring and alot of fun. We shot 500 baskets and it was very productive to Justin's Quest.

Regular School Week

2010-02-25T14:02:00.000-08:00

Justin and his brothers are having a regular school week with no delays or snow. Each night Justin and his brothers have shot hoops after doing their homework. So far this week they have shot 375 baskets.

The Snow Is Melting

2010-02-21T16:52:00.000-08:00

Finally we got a heat wave temperatures climbed into the mid 40's and the snow started to melt significantly. Justin and his brothers took advantage of the nice weather this weekend and shot outside and inside at night. They shot a total of 300 shots this weekend.

Finally Back to School

2010-02-18T14:23:00.000-08:00

Justin was off of school for 5 days last week due to the 2 blizzards and this Monday due to Presidents Day. This has been a very busy week for Justin and his brothers with homework and activities. However, they still managed to shoot 200 baskets so far this week. Justin and his 2 younger brothers Jacob and Joey will sneak downstairs to shoot hoops.

Valentines Day Weekend

2010-02-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

Most activities for the boys were cancelled due to the snow. Justin hung out with his friends and brothers all weekend. Last night he had a sleepover at our house with His friends Brian and Justin. They shot hoops most of the night and made 150 shots. Overall for the weekend Justin made 450 hoops.

Round 2 Another Blizzard

2010-02-11T14:20:00.000-08:00

Justin and his brothers have been off of school the whole week as we received 55 inches of snow in 5 days. It was very cold and a good time for the boys to shoot hoops in between shoveling the driveway and playing in the snow. Justin and his brothers shot 500 baskets.

Weekend Blizzard

2010-02-08T19:49:00.000-08:00

We got 30 inches of snow. The whole family was stranded. The weekend was spent shoveling the driveway, eating, the kids playing in the snow. Justin and his brothers shot hoops inside and even managed a few outside. Overall 350 baskets were made over the weekend.

No School, SNOW DAY!!

2010-02-03T19:17:00.000-08:00

Snow days are a great opportunity for Justin, his brothers and friends to make a dent in the amount of hoops to be made. Today 250 baskets were made. It was a good day. Justin and his brothers are still recovering from all the fun yesterday with Michael Phelps.

Meeting With Superstar Michael Phelps

2010-02-02T16:20:00.000-08:00

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Today was truly indescribable. Justin and his 3 brothers got a chance to meet Michael Phelps and his sister Hilary. The meeting took place at Loyola University in Baltimore Maryland at their aquatic center. Our whole family met Michael and his sister at 12 noon at the aquatic center. Pam at Loyola coordinated the event from the university's side and she was fantastic. Hilary brought in a wonderful lunch for our family, and the NBTS members, Vice Chairman Jeff Kolodin his 2 children and Senior development Director Keith Lampman. We spent 1 hour eating lunch and talking with Michael. Michael was talking about his family, sports, what he eats, his training and many other things as the kids asked many questions. Michael was so nice and gracious and was eager to talk with Justin and learn about Justin's Quest and Justin's diagnosis. Michael was so genuine and compassionate as was Hilary. After lunch, we went to the gym to shoot hoops and take pictures. Michael shot with the boys for about 50 minutes. They played knockout and played one on one with Justin. Justin even did a breakdance routine for Michael. They all had a blast. They made 125 shots. Then it was off to watch Michael's swim practice in the same building. The family had a chance to watch him train in the pool. What an incredible sight to see the world's greatest swimmer in action. Justin had a smile on his face all day and that was priceless. We were so humbled and appreciative of Michael and Hilary's compassion for Justin's plight. Michael is so down to earth and such a wonderful person. Our family is so grateful for what they have done for Justin's Quest. Hopefully today will lead to more good things to come for Justin's Quest and raise awareness and a cure for brain tumors.

Michael Phelps!!!!

2010-01-31T12:48:00.000-08:00

Justin and his brothers are meeting super star 8 time Olympic gold medalist swimmer, Michael Phelps on this Tuesday to shoot hoops with him for Justin's Quest and watch him practice. The whole family is so excited and are honored to meet Michael. This weekend was very busy with alot of friends and family in town. Justin , his brothers' Jordan, Jacob and Joey, and cousins' Carey, Courtney, Alex, Jared and Michael shot hoops during the day Saturday and totaled 110 baskets. Saturday night cousin Alex R. shot 64 baskets.

Thank You Mr. Robert C. Tapella, Public Printer Of The United States

2010-01-26T17:19:00.000-08:00

WOW, WHAT A DAY!!! Justin had a dream come true to meet someone of great political importance and shoot hoops with him for Justin's Quest. Well guess what? Justin was supposed to meet Mr. Robert C.Tapella, Public Printer Of The United States, Government Printing Office(GPO) for one half hour today at the YMCA located at 1711 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Washington DC. To our surprise, Mr. Tapella brought with him the GPO basketball team and some staff, Paul Erickson ( Deputy Public Printer), Beth Ann Telford( who works for the GPO,organized this event and a brain tumor survivor herself), and the photographer who works for the GPO. Also, present were the gracious members of the YMCA staff and Donielle S. Griffin, Director of Mission Advancement of the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington and NBTS staff members including Vice Chair of the Board, Jeff Kolodin. We were blown away at this event. Justin's eyes lit up and he had a big smile as Mr. Tapella presented Justin with an autographed official NBA basketball signed by Mr. Tapella and his Deputy, Mr. Erickson with the inscription " Justin you are an inspiration!". Justin then presented Mr. Tapella with an autographed picture of himself taken at the DC Race for Hope in his yellow survivor t-shirt with the inscription "Mr. Tapella thank you for supporting Justin' Quest" and a yellow Justin's Quest rubber bracelet. There were alot of pictures taken but the most fun for Justin was him playing a pickup game with the GPO basketball players and Justin was hitting jumpers all over the court. Everyone made shots for Justin's Quest. Audrey and I were so deeply moved and incredibly humbled by the experience. It seemed almost surreal to see our son with a brain tumor doing what we all dreamed of and that was to raise awareness and help find a cure for this disease, it was emotional. The fun did not stop there, as Mr. Tapella invited us back to the GPO complex for a tour. Our one half hour allotted time thankfully turned into over 2 hours of fun for all of us. Mr. Tapella showed us his unbelievable office, it was huge and so beautiful and very stately looking. Mr. Tapella was so kind to give us the tour and gave us a fantastic tutorial of the GPO and it's history. The GPO complex is over 1.5 million square feet. Justin even had the chance to do marbleized printing with Peter James, the Head Forwarder of the GPO. Mr. James worked with Justin to make a sample that he got to take home. We would like to thank the YMCA for providing this wonderful venue and the shirt they presented Justin. We would also Like to thank the basketball players from the GPO, they were so awesome with Justin and they even picked up Justin so he could dunk the ball. We would like to thank NBTS and Beth Ann Telford for helping to organize this event and she truly is an inspiration to everyone in the brain tumor community. We would like to thank Mr. Erickson and Mr. James of the GPO for their time and effort spent with Justin. Most Importantly, We cannot thank Mr. Tapella enough for a man so important and so busy, to take the time to spend with Justin and us was unbelievable. Mr. Tapella was so genuine in his concern for this cause and Justin. Justin still cannot stop talking about this wonderful experience as it really brightened his spirits and this was needed today because he had additional medical testing in the afternoon which he was very nervous about. Overall 60 shots were made today. This will be a day that our family will never forget. I hope that today's important event will lead to many others and raise awareness and hopefully a cure for brain tumors.

Big News

2010-01-24T14:12:00.000-08:00

Justin and our family are honored to shoot hoops with Mr. Robert C. Tapella, Chief Executive Officer of the Government Printing Office, GPO this Tuesday. The GPO is an agency that produces and distributes information products for all branches of the Federal Government. Mr. Tapella was appointed by President George W. Bush to this office on October 4, 2007. Yesterday, Justin shot hoops with cousin Ava and Roger. Ava and Roger made 25 baskets and they did a great job. Justin and his cousin Jared along with brothers Jacob and Joey went to Uncle Bobby's complex indoor basketball court and shot 100 baskets.

Busy 2 Days

2010-01-21T16:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a tough day for Justin as he spent 3 hours at the doctors getting different testing. He came home from doctors and went straight to his uncle Bobby's house where there is an indoor basketball gym at his complex. Justin shot hoops with his 2 younger brothers Jacob and Joey. Also, there was a bunch of friends from his school, Frost Middle School, and they had a pickup game. Yesterday 125 shots were made. Today Justin went to his friend's house, Justin(another Justin) and shot hoops outside with Isaac, Brian and Justin. Then the 4 of them came to our house and shot hoops inside. Overall the 4 boys shot overall 310 baskets. It was a better day for Justin.

MLK's Birthday

2010-01-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

Justin and his brothers were off of school on Monday in honor of MLK's birthday. Justin, his 3 brothers and 3 of his cousins spent the day at our house. They played basketball and shot hoops most of the day for Justin's Quest. They had a blast and ate lots of pizza and drank Gatorade during their breaks. They shot 350 hoops that day. Justin and I played 5 games of horse when I got home from work and believe it or not I won 2 out of 5 games.

Cold and Rainy Weekend

2010-01-17T17:39:00.000-08:00

I had friends sleep over on Friday night. We shot hoops watched NBA basketball and watched a movie. Saturday I had a party to go to and shot some hoops with my brothers. Sunday morning I had soccer practice and a basketball game, my team won 38-4. I came home and shot more hoops while I watched the NFL playoffs with my dad and brothers. Overall this weekend we made 500 shots.

Busy Week!

2010-01-15T15:21:00.000-08:00

I had a lot of homework this week and was very busy with after school activities. I still was able to shoot 250 hoops this week. But I hope and plan to shoot a lot of hoops this weekend.

Cold Monday

2010-01-11T16:43:00.000-08:00

It is freezing here and still snow on the ground. I rushed home from school to get all my homework done so I could shoot baskets with my brothers inside. Yesterday, we watched the playoff games and shot hoops. Overall we shot 325 hoops in 2 days.

My First Post

2010-01-08T19:20:00.000-08:00

I decided that I wanted to write the blogs and asked my dad if I can. He said no problem. Today it snowed and we had a 2 hour delay. It gave my brothers and me a chance to shoot some hoops in morning. We went out to Rio Grande to eat tonight and came home and shot more hoops with my brothers. today we shot 250 shots.
Justin

Wizards vs Cavaliers

2010-01-06T18:51:00.000-08:00

Big basketball night in our household. Justin's 2 favorite basketball teams played and we watched and shot hoops during the game. Lebron James was awesome as was Antwain Jamison. The cavs won 121 to 98. We shot 250 shots tonight.

The First Shots in 2010

2010-01-03T17:09:00.000-08:00

It has been very cold and windy the first few days of 2010. The whole family shot baskets with Justin over the weekend in the basketball room in the basement. It was a nice family weekend as we spent alot of time together. Uncles Peter and Bobby and cousins Corey, Jared, Darian and Courtney shot baskets with Justin on New Year's Day. The total baskets made this weekend were 710. School starts tomorrow and the kids will be back in their daily routine. Justin is eager to find time to shoot some hoops this week.

Christmas Vacation

2010-01-01T18:09:00.001-08:00

Justin and his family visited his grandparents house in Florida. It was a great vacation and Justin had a chance to shoot some hoops when he was away. Upon returning before New Years, Justin and his brothers had been shooting baskests everyday to make up for lost time while on vacation. Overall Justin and his brothers shot 650 baskets.

School Closed Due to Snow

2009-12-22T04:02:00.000-08:00

Justin and his brothers were off of school due to the snow. They made the most of this opportunity and shot 250 baskets yesterday and hope to do the same today as school is closed again.

Blizzard! Justin & Family Snowed In

2009-12-20T18:48:00.000-08:00

The Washington DC area had 22 inches of snow and we were stranded. Not a problem for Justin and his three brothers and some neighborhood friends, they shot baskets Saturday and Sunday in the indoor basketball room. Of course Justin and his brothers and Maxi the dog did not sit inside the whole time as they played in the snow both days sledding and playing football. Audrey kept the whole family fed with her good cooking as everyone worked up a good appetite shooting hoops and playing in the snow. Overall, 335 shots were made this weekend.

Night Before The Big Snow Storm

2009-12-19T11:31:00.000-08:00

Justin came home from school and some of his friends came over to shoot hoops with him before the snow started. Justin was concerned that he would miss an opportunity to shoot that he stayed outside in the dark with his youngest brother Joey and shot more hoops until we went to dinner around 7PM. Upon returning from dinner, Justin and Joey and myself shot hoops for another hour in our basketball room in the basement. Overall the hoops made that day were 210. It was a good day on Friday.

Justin's Washington Redskins' Night

2009-12-16T17:12:00.000-08:00

Last night was an unbelievable night for Justin and Justin's Quest. Jeff Kolodin, a board member of the National Brain Tumor Society invited Justin , myself and Jeff's son, Michael ,invited my third son Jacob to the Washington Redskins' player of the year award ceremony at the Quarterback Club held in Vienna Virginia. That alone was special, but Jeff arranged to have a basketball hoop delivered to the Westin hotel courtesy of Dicks Sporting Goods. The hoop was set up in the lobby of the hotel and all the furniture was moved out. The flooring was tile and perfect for dribbling and shooting hoops. I sat in the lobby of the hotel and watched in amazement as Justin approached current and former Redskins ' players and telling them that he has a brain tumor and that he wants to raise money to find a cure and raise awareness. He asked them to shoot with him. The courage of that little boy was truly amazing and inspirational. The Redskins were in a hurry to sign in but when approached by Justin they were so gracious and eager to talk with Justin and shoot a hoop, autograph Justin's shirt and take a picture with him. As a proud father watching this I was so pleased and honored that these wonderful athletes showed tremendous compassion for Justin and his disease. The players were so into shooting with Justin that many of them took off their suit jackets to shoot with Justin. The following players were so gracious to shoot with Justin: Neal Olkewicz, Virgil Seay, Ricky Ervins, Roy Jefferson, Pat Fisher, Ken Harvey, Albert Haynesworth, DeAngelo Hall, Andre Collins, Charles Mann and Mark Rypien, who unfortunately lost his son to brain cancer almost 11 years ago. We also had men from the armed services and other guests shoot with Justin. This night was so incredible in raising awareness for Justin's Quest. Overall, 150 baskets were made that night. I want to personally thank Dario Savarese who organized the event and was so nice and compassionate to allow Justin shoot hoops with the Redskins and guests.

Justin's Quest- The First Monday

2009-12-14T17:26:00.000-08:00

Justin ans his brothers had a long day in school and alot of homework. That did not stop Justin and his brothers from shooting 60 baskets. The word is starting to get out about Justin's Quest and people are getting excited.

Justin's Weekend

2009-12-13T11:38:00.000-08:00

This has been a great weekend for Justin's Quest. Justin's grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins were in from out of town for a party. It was a great opportunity for Justin to shoot with his family. They shot alot of baskets together even though it was very cold. Justin is very excited to have his quest launched. Sunday it rained and Justin and his 3 brothers shot hoops in the basketball room in the basement. The total hoops made this weekend was 505.

The Launch of Justin's Quest

2009-12-09T06:39:00.000-08:00

Wow!! The day has almost arrived for the launch of Justin's Quest. As you can imagine Audrey and I were so shocked and devastated by the news that Justin was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in March 2009. At that moment, we felt it was our calling from GOD to do something about this terrible disease and make a difference. Justin was so upset by the news but he is so strong mentally and physically that he wants to do everything possible to find a cure for brain tumors and raise awareness. Audrey and I, 2 weeks after receiving Justin's diagnosis went to a National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS) meeting regarding their pediatric initiative at Cord Schlobohm's( a board of director of NBTS and father who sadly lost his daughter Sidney to a brain tumor) house. We were blown away by the support of the people and crushed by the extremely sad stories of the parents at the meeting who lost their children to a brain tumor, we were fighting back tears all night. Justin's diagnosis and that night changed our lives forever as we decided that we WILL make a difference to help find a cure for brain tumors. That night I spoke with some board members about setting up a meeting to see what we can do to fight brain tumors. I met in early June with 3 board members, Jeff Kolodin, Barry Glassman and Cord Schlobohm. They realized at the meeting how serious we were to help find a cure for brain tumors and after kicking around ideas , Justin's Quest was born. Justin's Quest has been alot of work for everyone involved to launch but well worth it. It is our hope and aspirations that Justin's Quest will raise awareness and enough money to help find a cure for brain tumors. It just breaks our hearts to see all the families going through this horrific journey and obviously it has been an incredibly difficult time for our family and Justin to deal with his brain tumor. Justin's Quest is a tribute to the strength and courage of Justin to wear his emotions on his sleeve in a public forum to make a difference. There are not to many people in the world, let alone kids, who will rise to this challenge. That being said, we want to thank so many people who made Justin' Quest possible, first and foremost, Justin who we love so much for taking on this challenge, his 3 brothers Jordan, Jacob and Joey who have been so supportive of Justin, our family and good friends for their love and support, Jeff Kolodin, Barry Glassman, Cord Schlobohm, N. Paul TonThat" Executive Director of NBTS", the whole staff of NBTS and especially Abbey Haber, Glyde and Freddy for producing the video, Steve Buckhantz the narrator of the video and the Wizards basketball play by play announcer for Comcast Sportsnet, Lee Margolies for graphics and logo design, and Renaldo Nehemiah good friend and first athlete to shoot a basket with Justin and anybody else we forgot to mention. We want to urge everyone to follow Justin's Quest and spread the word, shoot a basket for or with Justin or make a donation for this great cause.

Warmest Regards and Thanks For Your Support,

Jon and Audrey Friedlander
Proud parents of Justin

Hello World

2009-11-23T09:10:00.001-08:00

Test Post