Magical Wish Come True

Alabama Fairhope When 25 hundred dollars showed up at an Elberta business out of the blue owners were scratching their heads wondering if they were being targeted in some sort of scam.

by Debbie Williams

Published: Thu, October 30, 2008 - 9:46 pm CST

Justin Juncos looks like he doesn't have a care in the world. "I was about 17 or so when I came down with cancer." Looks can be deceiving. "It got to the point where I couldn't breathe and had to go to the hospital and they did an x-ray and they saw a big mass in my chest."
A rare form of leukemia, t-cell lymphoma, would keep him in the hospital for most of the next two years. "It's been in remission almost a year and a half," he says.
While Justin was in the hospital, an organization called Magic Moments, kind of a state version of the Make-a-Wish foundation, got in touch with him to grant a wish. He didn't want a trip or dinner with a movie star. It was something entirely different.
"They gave the okay on the lawn mower," says Juncos.
That's where Elberta Hardware and Rob Strawn come in, "We just gotten a call from Magic Moment and Magic Moment had said they were sending this money."
Twenty five hundred dollars to be exact, to be used for a lawn mower Justin had asked for to start a lawn care business. But that's only about half of what a commercial lawn mower would cost according to Strawn. "I was thinking can we do it right now? We can't do it because of the economy. So I thought maybe if I could get some help out of Cub Cadet. I contacted them and I think the timing was just right and basically it all came together."
Justin was surprised, "He told me that and I was just speechless. I definitely wasn't expecting anything like that."
The slogan on the lawn mower reads, experience the difference. In this case it should say making a difference.
"I believe all my bad days are over and it's going to get better from here on out."
Justin will get his lawn mower this weekend during a chili cook-off fundraiser at Elberta Hardware. He hopes to have his new lawn care business up and running by February.

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