TAYLOR, Mich. – A young man is taking the ride of a lifetime Tuesday in a hot air balloon, and he and his family let Local 4 tag along.
William Musgrave loves football. The former defensive end remembers each sack he had for Kennedy High School, but it was during football that he first felt the pain.
A year and a half ago, Musgrave was officially diagnosed with a rare one-in-7 million nasal cancer.
"It's a battle. It's a very big battle," he said.
An aggressive treatment got all the tumors out, but just when he thought he was in the clear, there was more pain.
"Don't ever back down," he said. "(It's) always a fight."
Cancer had been in his spine and hips all along, and doctors hadn't found it. This time, there wasn't much to do, so he came home in July.
"How do you prepare to say goodbye to your child?" Brenda Martinelli asked.
Musgrave calls himself a warrior, but even warriors and their fellow soldiers get tired and angry at something.
"The point where it never ends," Musgrave said. "You always think it ends, but it never does."
Since he's 19 years old, he's not eligible for Make A Wish, but that's not stopping Musgrave from being granted a few, like meeting the Michigan State Spartans football team and getting a signed football.
Tuesday, he's taking the ride toward the heavens in a hot air balloon. It's a great place to think about his message to others: Don't give up.
"Don't ever give up," Musgrave said. "Might as well battle with the battle. Fight on."
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