Artist behind ‘Naz Reid.’ tattoos battling brain cancer, Timberwolves community rallies around him

ROSEVILLE, Minn. — On one of many first heat days of spring, JC Stroebel can not help however really feel grateful.

“You want to cherish every single moment, dude,” Stroebel mentioned, standing outdoors his Fridley residence as his son, Sherwood, performs basketball within the yard.

“There’s this thought that I’ve had as late as my son begins to create his own memories,” Stroebel mentioned. “I just want to be on my game every moment, because I don’t know what those moments are that my son is going to remember and cherish for himself.”

Getting thus far – the power to stroll unassisted, communicate in full sentences, play like a dad desires to have the ability to do – took months to get to.

“This was like, a week after, and I was trying to get something for myself,” Stroebel mentioned. “I was just dropping s*** everywhere.”

Last December, the tattoo artist was on his technique to work at Beloved Studios in Roseville, when he seen one thing unusual.

While texting a consumer, Stroebel says he could not spell something. Believing it was a migraine, I believed he ought to proceed on to work.

Anna Stroebel, JC’s spouse and, who was driving that day, insisted they go.

“We were in the ER, and they were like, ‘you’re gonna be staying here tonight,’ and did a bunch of imaging,” JC mentioned. “And the next morning, they told us, ‘Hey, you have a brain tumor.'”

The subsequent few weeks had been a whirlwind of scheduled surgical procedure and restoration plans.

“There was no, there wasn’t even a moment to sit down and be like, ‘Whoa, I have a brain tumor,'” JC mentioned. “It was just like, ‘I have a family. I have a life to live.'”

JC was recognized with a Grade 3 oligodendroglioma. Mayo Clinic, the place JC was handled, says the most cancers is uncommon.

JC had surgical procedure on the finish of final yr, and he says he now has an empty portion in his brain. It’s affected his skill to learn, write and see clearly.

“Have to basically relearn how to be a tattoo artist from the very beginning of learning how to draw again is quite the effort,” he mentioned. “I’m not close to tattooing right now.”

Two years in the past, Stroebel, a tattoo apprentice on the time, posted on social media after a Minnesota Timberwolves recreation.

“Will tattoo ‘Naz Reid’ on anyone for $20,” the publish on X mentioned. “I’m dead seriously.”

Hundreds of individuals signed up and had been tattooed by Stroebel and fellow artist Jessie George. The tattoos blew up a lot that Naz Reid himself noticed them.

“That’s crazy, I love it,” Reid mentioned throughout a apply availability in 2024 when requested concerning the tattoos. “Keep it going!”

Since then, Stroebel’s Wolves fandom has solely grown deeper, and the community has solely gotten stronger. When JC introduced his prognosis in December, the community not solely provided assist – they confirmed up.

“I have this amazing community of people around me,” he mentioned. “Like, I feel like the luckiest man in the world.”

An online fundraiser has raised greater than $70,000 for the Stroebels, which has helped with bills whereas JC recovers.

As that was taking place, another person reached out to supply their assist.

“Right before JC goes in for surgery, you got a nice little from Naz Reid himself!” Anna Stroebel mentioned, chatting with JC inside their kitchen.

“I’m just like, ‘going to brain surgery!'” JC mentioned. “Like, ‘Thanks, Naz Reid!'”

The connection between the 2 has grown throughout the rise of the viral “Naz Reid.” tattoos. The Timberwolves additionally needed to do one thing to point out their assist, and at a house recreation in direction of the top of the common season, these two phrases led to 1 dialog.

“We got to go to meet Naz Reid, go to a shootaround,” Anna mentioned. “That was pretty cool.”

“The Wolves have been incredible,” JC added.

JC and Anna met and spoke with Naz Reid, checking in as JC continued restoration.

“I can’t imagine a sports team that is this integrated and tangible in a fan base like this,” JC mentioned.

Recovery has taken time, and can possible take much more.

“He’s doing a lot of different therapies right now, but thankfully, there’s actually a drug created that is supposed to maybe slow growth, which will prolong his need,” Anna mentioned, speaking about chemotherapy. “He’ll have to do it eventually. Who knows the length of time, but he’s going to be taking this drug and see, and then that will lead to chemo and radiation whenever that stops working, yeah.”

“This drug pauses growth for as long as it basically decides, and then at that point, I will then do the chemo and radiation, but it could be months,” JC mentioned. “We’re hoping for years.”

Recovery may also embrace speech and writing expertise.

“This has been the most emotional hard time for me, because I basically lost the capability to read and write, which is part of communication that I cherish, and it’s a part of communication that I’m working so hard through therapies and such to get back,” JC mentioned.

“I also think that I have learned so much, my reflections of this has been that I am not the tattoos I make or the straightness of the lines that I draw. There is something more to me and to everybody than just what we do or what we make,” JC mentioned. “And there’s, like, an inherent value in that.”