He made a high school sports career as being the guy who worked harder, played harder and did things with more enthusiasm than those he competed against. Anyone that knew Justin Massie knew that it was his mode of operations and it helped earn Massie the nickname of “Moose.”

 

Because of that, when something happened at a wrestling match this year those closely paying attention knew something was wrong. Massie, himself, also knew something was wrong. After all, he was off to a strong start in the 138 pound division and one of the best in that classification in Class AA.

 

“I was wrestling a kid who I think was ranked sixth in the state and was doing really good. I think I was up 7-1 and got real gassed and winded,” said Massie. “It got to the point where I just ended up rolling over to get the match over. I just felt that sick.”

 

Massie said he thought it may have been complete exhaustion. He said all he could think about to make himself better was to get some sleep.

 

As it turned out, it was a bit more complicated than that. In fact, it turned out to be much more complicated. Massie ended up seeking medical attention when a severe situation emerged.

 

“I guess I almost had a heart attack, but they ran a test for it and said it was negative; close to it, but negative,” said Massie.

 

The problem when Massie was examined was determined to be related to a problem that he was born with. Massie had a congenital condition known as pectus excavatum. In layman’s term it is a chest wall deformity in which several ribs and the sternum grow abnormally. It produces a concave appearance on an individual’s chest. Massie referred to the “concave area” as his “hole” and it all was well until the cardiopulmonary issues manifested and came to the forefront during that wrestling match.

 

“Everyone knew about my hole,” Massie joked. “It was my trademark and my friends would talk about it and, to be honest, I didn’t give it much of a thought because I was stuck with it and it never gave me much of a problem. The problems came as I got older and the hole got deeper. It started to compress on my heart, the right side in particular, and that led to the issues.”

 

The issues led earlier this month to surgery. Massie had a three-hour procedure at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He was scheduled to be there for a minimum of five days and up to as long as even to recover.

“I recovered pretty quickly and was home after four days. They called me a superstar,” said Massie. “They said no one bounced back that quickly.”

 

And for those – again – that know Massie the speedy recovery probably isn’t a surprise. Massie’s aforementioned work ethic had made him not only one of the most popular players in every sport that he competed in, but made him amongst the most popular students at BHS.

 

Even with that, it’s pretty amazing that Massie was able to avoid anything serious throughout his youth and prep playing days; especially considering the full throttle manner in which he competed.

 

“I think I’ve been competing since I was seven. I’ve played football, wrestled and ran track,” said Massie. “I never had a problem until my senior year and during that wrestling match. I just remember after everything was over and they told me what was wrong that it was over as far as competition.”

 

Massie was told lifting was now out of the question. The physical sport of wrestling was also off the table. What he could do, the medical professionals said, was run. So run he did.

 

“I didn’t run track my junior year to put on weight for football so I decided to do track again,” said Massie. “I’m glad I did because I didn’t want my final memory in sports at Bridgeport being that memory of how I felt wrestling.”

 

As usual, Massie attacked track like he did everything else – with full force. By season’s end, Massie was one of the top hurdlers and one of the top athletes BHS Coach Jon Griffith could count on. What made it even more impressive is that Massie knew before he started track that surgery was coming once school was out.

 

“They assured me that it was fine and it turned out to be the case. There was one time I got dehydrated and hot at the (Harrison) County meet and got a little worried, but other than that everything was fine,” said Massie.

 

Surgery, as it turned out, was fine as well. Along with quality medical treatment and care from family and visits from friends, Massie said he’s left UPMC feeling better than he ever has.

 

“They told me that my condition always left me a step behind so I’m looking forward to being a step ahead. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about what I may have been able to do athletically if I had not had to deal with this condition my whole life, but I realized I can’t do anything about it so I haven’t really thought about it since,” said Massie.

 

Right now, Massie is thinking about getting himself completely healed. He’s thinking about lifting again. He’s thinking about going to West Virginia University this fall where he’ll major in biology with a medical track.

 

“This whole thing has been pretty life changing,” said Massie. “I kind of have known I wanted to do something in the medical field, but this has really helped me out as far as knowing that’s what I want to do. It’s pretty life changing. To know how good it is to take a really deep breathe is something I don’t take for granted.”

 

That deep breathe is something Massie has earned with hard work and resilience. After all, a Moose should be able to breathe as hard as it needs and wants to. 

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Justin Massie, middle, joined by classmates, from left, Mitchell Winkie, Zach Bombardiere, Connor Nelson and Jonathan Murray during his hospital stay in Pittsburgh. Second photo (by Fred Smart) is of Massie during his senior season of wrestling, while the third picture (by Ben Queen of www.benqueenphotography.com) shows Massie after scoring a touchdown and flashing the "Moose" symbol. In the bottom photo Massie is shown with his mother Jackie Holbert and grandmother Nancy White after surgery.