One of our favorite YouTube fishermen has dropped some heartbreaking news. Here's how he is handling it.
Justin Rackley, or as we know him, LakeForkGuy, has been the face of many "Fs". Family, funny, friendship and, of course, fishing freak.
If you aren't familiar, Justin spends countless hours on the water fishing and vlogs about it on his YouTube channel. In 2007, he also won the BoatUS National Collegiate Bass Championship along side of his fishing buddy Trevor Knight representing Texas A&M. He is a very knowledgeable and humble guy when it comes to fishing.
Why do we like him so much? Well, he is a down to earth, fun to watch guy. He features his wife, Stephanie, who he calls Ocean Spoon Girl, and his dog Winston, in many of his videos showing his love for his family along side of the hard work of running a successful YouTube Channel.
Justin shares tips and tricks for fishing with product reviews. He also takes you on a ride as he ventures out on the water doing what we all truly enjoy doing, fishing.
Recently Justin shared a heartbreaking vlog titled "I Have a Brain Tumor."
At first, when that video popped up in my feed, I laughed, thinking, "Oh boy, what is he getting into now." With Justin's sense of humor, you wouldn't think he meant this in the literal sense at first. Unfortunately, I was wrong, as the video ended with him and his wife making a trip to the doctor's and finding a benign tumor in his brain.
Justin took to the news like most would and began to open up with the subscribers on his channel about the importance of life. He gives some tips, outside of fishing, about enjoying life and how things can change at a moment's notice. It's unclear what type of therapy or surgery may come of this, as Justin states in his latest video, but one thing is for sure: it's not keeping him down.
Below is a video he posted two days after sharing the news of his brain tumor to share how he uses Bass Pro Shops, fishing and a best friend as some outdoor brain therapy.
I share this video to show that none of us are perfect. At a moment's notice, even the best of the best can be affected by tragedy. It's how you handle that situation that makes you a champ.
Justin is inspirational as he continues to work through his condition to do what he loves. Alongside his wife, his dog, family and friends, Justin shows us that anything is possible.
His friend Craig at the end of the video says it best. "Hey, you're a true friend, get to feeling better." He says. "No more of this sitting on the couch stuff."
Of course, when you have a close friend like that, there will always be sarcasm and the need to pick on each other. It's easy to see in Justin's friend's eyes that he cares for Justin. There's no doubt he will get through this, as his followers are kindly sharing their prayers. Some of the comments on his videos are very motivating. One comment even said to call the tumor "bass bait." And he states that in a couple of months he should "title a video 'Catching bass on a tumor.'"
Justin's newest video describes how his insurance coverage may be a scam, and people are looking for ways to help. If you want to help Justin, you can head to MakeEveryCastCount.com and purchase a shirt that is worth far more than the print and strands of cotton.
The entire fishing freak community is here in support of you, Justin, and we stand beside you as you take this journey.
Like what you see here? You can read more articles by Dustin Prievo here. Follow him and his hunting team, Top Pin Outdoors, on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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