Local student touched by appearance from Aikman, Brooks

Justin Collins doesn’t spend a lot of time watching football or listening to country music.

Instead, he’s into computers and astronomy. Lately, he’s been following reports of UFO sightings in Erath County.

“I think it’s made up,” said the 11-year-old Flower Mound resident.

But for one day last week, Collins turned his attention from the stars in the sky to two pop-culture stars who may well be his new heroes.

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman and country singer Garth Brooks unveiled a video game room Jan. 15 at Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth. Collins, a sixth-grader at Lamar Middle School, was one of two children asked to help in the ceremony.

The National Hockey League (NHL), the NHL Players Association and Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation joined efforts to donate a playroom to the center.

The highlight was when Collins got to play against Aikman in “Guitar Hero.” Dallas Stars’ player Mike Modano was originally scheduled to appear, but when he was unable to, Aikman filled in.

Collins was on the fifth day of his weekly six-day stay at the hospital as he continues his second round of treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a rare cancer of the lymphatic system that weakens the immune system.

“That was a nice distracter for him,” said his mother, Tabatha Osburn.

Tabatha said she thinks the experience will leave a lasting impression on her son, even though he has never been one to follow sports. She suspects that Collins will follow Aikman and Brooks’ lead, though.

“I think that this will put a positive spin on his life,” Tabatha Osburn said. “As he goes through all of this, he asks, ‘Why me?’ But we tell him that everything that happens, it makes you who you are. And, this is an example of what you can be in the future.”

Collins was originally diagnosed with the disease in August 2004. Three months later, he was in remission, but he has been re-diagnosed.

His first set of treatments consisted of chemotherapy and radiation, but now it includes a stem cell transplant, chemo and possibly more radiation.

“In some ways, it’s easier this time, because he’s older, and he knows what he has to do and why,” Tabatha said. “But, it’s also harder for him, because they’re throwing more at him now.”

Collins said watching Aikman and Brooks take time out of their day to play video games with children at the hospital makes him want to be just as caring when he gets older.

“Maybe he’ll take this and then help other people,” said Chris Osburn, Justin’s stepfather.

For now, Collins is just thrilled he beat the Hall of Famer in a video game.

“It was fun,” Collins said. “At first, we both failed the game, but I got more completions. I was hoping he wouldn’t break my record.”

Collins said he thought it was funny seeing Aikman struggle at a video game. The humor didn’t sink in at first, though, as his parents had to explain who Aikman was.

“Most of the kids there didn’t have a clue who (Aikman) was,” Tabatha said. “I tried to explain to him that this was the guy before Tony Romo. They saw that it as a big deal, but I don’t think they fully grasped it at first. Later, he started seeing how big this was, especially once all of the media got there. I told him to get the autographs now, because this will be a big deal someday.”

It turns out, by the end of the day, it already was.

“I was excited that I was that close to them,” Collins said, “and that I wasn’t just looking at their picture.”

Current Rating: 0 of 0 votes!

Rate File: Select Rating: * ** *** ****