The Hiatt Middle School community threw a 13th birthday party for Justin Chey on Thursday, October 31st.

Already shouldering lots of responsibility at home where he helped care for ailing grandparents, cooked meals while his mother was at work and pitched in financially by working odd jobs, he collapsed one day at school due to a cancerous brain tumor that was causing extreme headaches and nausea which had been chalked up to flu. Since it was diagnosed the tumor’s required two surgeries, the second of which was just yesterday, and chemotherapy and radiation treatments are the next steps. Since that bad news broke there has been an outpouring of good tidings spearheaded by, but hardly limited to, the Hiatt community. Today the staff and student body there really embraced Justin and his family, with considerable help from one new found friend in particular.