Impact Freshman: JB

The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation is a non-profit, charitable organization that helps children with brain tumors. The foundation matches young children with a nearby college or high school sports team in order to pick up the spirit of the child and their family. The team essentially adopts the young child and he/she becomes part of the team; they are present at team picnics, practices, games, etc. as often as possible. This is clearly beneficial to both parties, the family receives 30 (or more) new friends, who are there to pick up their spirits and give them something to look forward to, while the team gets to meet special young people who are courageous beyond their years.

The Start
Jaclyn Murphy was ten years old when she developed a malignant brain tumor. Jaclyn's parents reached out to the Northwestern University women's lacrosse team because Jaclyn was a huge lacrosse fan. When the Northwestern team heard of her condition they immediately sent back autographed media guides and other souvenirs. This very easily could have been the end of the story, but it was only the beginning. Jaclyn went on to meet the team and was eventually "adopted" by the team. They were in constant communication, whether it was email, talking on the phone, text messages, or seeing each other in person whenever Jaclyn could make it to a game. This relationship has only grown in the years to follow, as Jaclyn is as much a part of the team as any of their star players. Both parties were greatly effected, Northwestern women's lacrosse, who had not previously won a national championship, went on to win the national title five consecutive years from 2005-2009. They were the national runners-up in 2010. More importantly, Jaclyn has friends to lift up her spirits and help her in her ongoing fight. After her diagnosis Jaclyn underwent surgery, radiation, and chemo. She made progress through the treatment and started heading in the right direction...Fast forward about five years and I heard that Jaclyn had a clean MRI at the end of 2010 and is cancer free. But she is scheduled for another in March because of the possibilities of the re-growth of a tumor.

Justin Brown
I was fortunate enough to be a part of the 2010 JMU baseball team that adopted 7-year old Justin Brown of Haymarket, Virginia through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. In February 2005, then 2-year old Justin was diagnosed with a Craniopharyngioma brain tumor. He underwent surgery shortly after and had the lemon-sized tumor removed. The tumor left him legally blind in his right eye along with other medical complications. Justin would have two more surgeries about a year later to remove a re-growth of the tumor; Craniopharyngioma tumors have a high rate of recurrences. Justin also underwent six weeks of radiation treatments in order to help his condition...Fast forward to present day and Justin is in remission. This guy is clearly a fighter and is an inspiration to all who are lucky enough to meet him.

Justin and his brother Josh taking
part in a pregame prayer

Justin and his family first met the team at our annual end of fall cookout. He and his brother Josh had a catch, threw around a football, and played basketball with all of the players on the team. In February 2010 the Browns visited JMU for a practice that Justin and Josh participated in. Later that day, Justin was formally introduced as the newest member of the JMU baseball team at an annual preseason baseball barbecue. He signed his letter of intent like any other recruit would, received his own customized jersey (as seen in the photo), and received his own locker with his name plate. Justin threw out the first pitch at two games during the season, one of them on Justin Brown Day, where all children were admitted free of charge and had the opportunity to run the bases on the field after the game. JB and his family were also able to attend many other games during the season. On those days, Justin and Josh would be out on the field doing their pregame warm-up, stretching, and running with the rest of the team. In 2010, the JMU baseball team was the regular season champions in the CAA. JB will continue to be a part of the JMU baseball family in the years to come, as I was lucky enough to see the Browns at the preseason barbecue about a week ago. Justin was called up in front of a crowd of 75 people and given a standing ovation as head coach McFarland shared a little bit about JB's story.

Playing catch with Justin, Josh before a game

Justin is a tough kid, how can he not be after everything he has been through. He has undergone more in his short life than most people will in their entire lives. It is clear to all those around him that Justin loves to be around the team; he loves to run around and play baseball like any other child. He is always smiling and most importantly, he loves life. I can only hope to have half of the strength and courage that JB has. His story and my experiences with him, I cherish and will never forget. The biggest lesson that I have learned from Justin is to enjoy life everyday and to be thankful for all the blessings that I have. The team has benefited tremendously from meeting this special person because no matter how difficult things seem to be with baseball, we think about Justin and remember how fortunate we are. As I mentioned earlier Justin is in remission, but the possibility of re-growth is always there, so your thoughts and prayers are always appreciated. Special thanks to David (Spider Monkey) Warner, the JMU baseball team manager because he was crucial in getting our team involved with the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation.

Justin high-fiving after a win

Quotes from other JMU baseball players:

Jake Lowery: “Justin has shown us that we can get through anything. Getting through a tough workout is nothing compared to him fighting for his life. We are so fortunate to have the presence of Justin in our lives.”


Trevor Knight: "Justin has been a great inspiration to us and great motivation for us to take advantage of the opportunities that we have as Division I athletes."


Evan Scott: “Justin has provided us with inspiration by showing us how to never give up even when faced with great adversity.  We all admire his courage.”


McKinnon Langston: “Justin’s experiences and victories in his life have been an eye-opener for me.  We often take the things we have and can do for granted.  Justin has made me appreciate life’s journeys and he has helped me to be more thankful.”


David Warner: “Justin is a superhero.  He is incredibly brave and it is an absolute honor to have him as a part of the JMU baseball family.”

Great video about Justin and the JMU baseball program.