It wasn’t too long ago that things seemed about as close to perfect for Bridgeport resident Justin Bishop. He and his wife of 10 years, Rebecca, were raising their three children in the community and the couple were and are still actively involved.

 

The involvement with Justin, as many in Bridgeport and beyond will tell you, was on the youth sporting front. Justin Bishop coaches football, basketball and baseball with a particular love for the game of baseball due to his past involvement as a college athlete at Fairmont State University.

 

Considering his love for sports, it wasn’t unusual to see Justin Bishop out tossing baseball or football with his kids, children he coached or anyone else for that matter. What turned out to be unusual was that in September while throwing he noticed something.

 

What Justin Bishop noticed was a lump on his arm. Although not normal, his initial thought was that it was a pulled muscle. He opted to get it checked when he noticed the lump was growing. From that point forward, the world of Justin Bishop turned a bit upside down.

 

This healthy city resident so deeply involved in the actions of his own kids and so many others was diagnosed with cancer. Eventually the type of cancer was determined on Oct. 9 as he was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, which according to WebMD.com is a very rare type of cancerous tumor that grows in your bones or soft tissue around your bones.

 

How rare?

 

It affects usually about 200 children and young adults each year in the United States. While it impacts more males than females, what makes Justin Bishop’s diagnosis even rarer is that it primarily impacts individuals between the ages of 10 and 20. Bishop is 35.

 

The good news, according to WebMD, is that Ewing Sarcoma has a high rate of being cured. The better news is that on Monday test results from a PET scan showed the cancer had not spread. The tumor, estimated at 5 centimeters (at stage 2 level cancer), is localized.

 

While that result came Tuesday and the diagnosis of Ewing Sarcoma was back on Oct. 9 and the diagnosis of some form of cancer came well before that, the community of Bridgeport and beyond was already in action. In fact, those who have been impacted by or witnessed the generosity of Justin Bishop were already in assistance mode with city resident Shawna Murphy leading a tidal wave of support.

 

“When you see Justin working with children, you know it’s the right fit. It’s his gift from God and he’s been able to utilize that gift,” said Murphy. “The most amazing thing about it isn’t parents getting to see it. The best thing is that you can see the impact through the eyes of the children.”

Murphy said it’s a common occurrence to see kids yelling “there’s Coach Justin” when they run into him or just getting generally excited if their coach is around. She said that once Justin’s situation was learned and feelers were put out to be able to provide support for the family – including the creation of a Facebook page – things just exploded.

 

“I’ve had so many calls and emails when this started, but I’m not surprised because it goes back to the impact he’s had on so many families by working with children. He encouraged my own son so much in athletics that when he got his first base hit the person he wanted to call first was Justin,” said Murphy. “I know you can find plenty of people who have had similar and probably multiple encounters with Justin just like that.”

 

Count Bridgeport resident John Minnocci among them. Minnocci’s two boys didn't play for Justin’s baseball team during the recent regular season (they did play for him on the all-star squad), but he said he’s always been impressed by how Justin is willing to help every kid that competes.

 

“That was something that stood out and is an example for all youth coaches because he’s not just out there coaching his own team, he’s helping out the other kids he’s coaching against with advice,” said Minnocci. “What’s unique is that anyone that knows Justin knows he’s competitive, but he understands first and foremost it’s important to be a mentor to all the kids and he does that as good as or better than anyone.”

 

Murphy, Minnocci and hundreds of others already are following the Justin Bishop Strong Facebook page (CLICK HERE) that includes constantly updated information. And it also includes what those two and others have been involved with since the ordeal started.

 

“There have been so many people touched and blessed by knowing him that the community is coming together to support them to help ease some of the burden,” said Murphy. “We have a close community here in Bridgeport and we immediately wanted to do something. It’s been non-stop with people offering to help ever since. The numbers of those wanting to help really escalated quickly.”

 

This Sunday there will be one big fundraiser at 6 p.m. at Wayne Jamison Field as the Indian Bowl takes place. The Bridgeport Youth Football league Mighty Mites division – the youngest division – will see the Bridgeport Red go up against the Bridgeport White. Not surprisingly, Justin Bishop helps coach the Bridgeport White team.

 

“This is Justin’s last time coaching before treatment,” said Murphy. “It’s a celebration day so we’re eager to help and we want him to see, and his family to see, how much we care about him and them.”

 

As part of the day, there will be multiple gift baskets raffled off. There are several and the Facebook linked above should have a breakdown of what will be available before Sunday’s contest. There will also be bracelets that say “Bishop Strong” and “No One Fights Alone” available for sale.

 

There has also been a bank account set up at City National Bank. All anyone has to do is go there and request to make a donation to the Justin Bishop Foundation in order to help out Justin, his wife Rebecca and his children Xavier, Zayla and Nyah. On the Facebook page, there is a link to takethemameal.com, which provides food for the family during the upcoming treatment schedule when things will likely get a little hectic. 

 

“Everyone wants to make this as comfortable for him and his family as it can be because he’s always treated everyone else like family. The thing is that there’s no doubt he’s going to beat this, but along the way we’re here to help and things like Sunday are just part of that,” said Minnocci. “We hope to see a big crowd on hand and we hope people will help out in other ways and not just in Bridgeport. There are people already helping well beyond the city and we know that’s going to continue.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Justin Bishop and his wife Rebecca with their three children, while he's showning in the second and bottom photo working individually with youngsters on baseball. In the third photo, he talks to one of the youth teams he coaches. Photos courtesy of Shawna Murphy.