A fight for survival

[unhappycamper]

Air Force trainee Joe Weston, pictured at the Lackland Air Force Base's Fisher House in Texas, was diagnosed with leukemia a few weeks after starting Air Force basic training.


A fight for survival
By Erik Holmes - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Dec 9, 2008 20:46:12 EST

Like many young recruits, Airman Basic Joseph Weston was looking forward to a career in the Air Force as an escape from a hometown without many opportunities.

“Michigan’s economy is just so awful up there,” said Weston, a 21-year-old native of Cadillac, Mich. “You don’t see ‘Now hiring’ signs. I was working 20 hours a week at a restaurant. That’s not enough to pay for an apartment and gas.”

Weston reported to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, on May 27. He should be well on his way to a new life by now. He should be at tech school, learning to turn wrenches and fix jet engines. He should be about to pin on his first stripe and looking forward to his first operational assignment.

But none of that has happened.

Less than two weeks into basic training, on June 9, an Air Force doctor gave Weston devastating news: He has acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a form of blood cancer that is exceptionally rare, and often deadly, in adults.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/12/airforce_cancer_120908w/%2e