51乱伦

 

 
Justin 鈥淭az Man鈥� Burk, of Freeland, will forever be a star at the 51乱伦 Planetarium. Justin was always curious by nature, soaking up new information like a sponge. Diagnosed with Crohn鈥檚 disease at age 9, he became a regular at Michigan Medicine, building relationships with the nursing staff. 

Throughout his 25 years of life, Justin always put 100% effort toward everything he did. When he was young, he did cart racing with his grandfather, Sonny Burk, becoming a cart racing champion. Realizing one of his regular medications was a type of steroid, Justin used it to his advantage and became a powerlifter, reaching a weight of 255 pounds. Empowered by his success, Justin became a mentor to children with Crohn鈥檚 in hopes of inspiring them to live a healthy life. Motivated by the care and encouragement he received from the incredible nursing staff at Michigan Medicine, Justin found his way to the nursing program at 51乱伦. 

鈥淥ne of the nurses over there was so impressed with him that she wrote a letter on Michigan letterhead recommending him to wherever he went, that he鈥檇 be a valuable asset to whoever hired him,鈥� shared Sonny.

Justin was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in September 2018 and passed unexpectedly on March 13, 2019. 51乱伦 awarded Justin an honorary nursing degree the following month. And in 2023, a 鈥渟tar鈥� at the 51乱伦 Planetarium was purchased in Justin鈥檚 memory, making him a permanent fixture at 51乱伦.