Teen continues to improve through treatment

Fourteen-year-old Justin Stegemann of Gardnerville continues to improve while undergoing treatment for cancer in New York. He was diagnosed in 2002 with a neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer.

Justin, who is at home for two weeks while on break between treatments, is happy to be with mom, Wendy, his younger sister Alicia, and his friends, and is eager to use his unspent energy.

"He gets very impatient at times," said Dave Stegemann, Justin's dad. "He can't even wait for an elevator without getting anxious."

Justin has gained back some of his lost weight and his hair has grown back nicely - a shiny, light brown and wavy - but it is kept under his cherished NASCAR hat - an autographed Dale Jarrett No. 88 UPS hat.

To Justin, it's no big deal having hair or not.

"It doesn't matter," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Justin is taking his treatment in stride. He gets immunotherapy once a day, five days a week for two weeks. Then he gets time off.

"The cancer has infected his bone marrow, but the treatments are going well," Dad said.

"He's getting GMCSF, which makes a different kind of white blood cell that attaches to the cancer cell to better fight it. Then he gets the immunotherapy."

Stegemann said the infected bone marrow does not show up in blood tests, but does in the bone scans. A concentrated area showed up in Justin's left arm and elbow for which he received 15 treatments.

"Through it all, he's doing well, he's a real trooper," Dave said. "And he has got tons of energy. He wrestles with me all the time and punches me.

"We went to Las Vegas for the NASCAR race last weekend. This was Justin's first-ever NASCAR race."

"It was fun," Justin said with a big smile. "It was pretty cool."

Justin and three of his friends have formed a band. They have not yet named themselves, but they will audition for the Douglas County Battle of the Bands competition with an original song, which also has no name. Justin plays bass, Ryan Bugg is on guitar, Spencer Rodrigues is drummer and Dylan Bloomfield is the singer.

"If we make it, I won't be there for the finals," Justin said. "I have to leave the 23rd and go back for treatment."

While in Manhattan, Justin connects with a staff tutor at the hospital, but because of his treatments, is relegated to reading most of the time.

"The medications interfere with his concentration," Dave said. "He takes 12 meds a day. I have to focus on Justin's needs at certain times. I know what he needs and when. He doesn't always remember what's happening to him."

Thursday, Justin and Dave went golfing with Justin's grandfather, John Maseillo. The family will head to the Sutter's Mill area in California to go hiking.

"We've been going through this for a year now," Dave said. "We're not sure how much longer we've got, but we're continuing and he's improving. We're going to beat this."

Contact Rhonda Costa-Landers at rcosta-landers@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1223.