PALM BEACH, Fla. – Justin Jacobs was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age three, an inherited disorder that currently has no cure.
“It's a lung and pancreatic disease that affects your lungs," Jacobs explained. "And your digestive systems are affected."
Afflicted with the disease, with a passion for music and building things with his hands, Jacobs created a one of a kind cystic fibrosis guitar to sell as a fundraiser to help find a cure.
"This guitar took a year just to build it," Jacobs detailed. "The roses themselves are reconstituted stone bloody basin jasper from Germany." The guitar Jacobs hand crafted features 65 roses, a symbol of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
"The vines are actually green abalone pearl, so it's real pearl that it's inlayed with and then there's various wood inlays."
Last year the guitar was auctioned off at a cystic fibrosis event in Allentown, Pennsylvania; to a very special buyer.
"Justin comes out," recalled Debora Weinstein. "I see his story. I fall in love with who he is and the guitar goes up for sale and I go I gotta take this."
Weinstein, who lost a son to cystic fibrosis, bid $20,000 for the guitar last year.
"In my heart I knew that this guitar could not be separated from Justin because I could tell it was so much a part of him," Weinstein said.
Weinstein won the guitar, but Jacobs keeps it, plays it, and takes care of it, but there's a catch.
"I brought his family and Justin down here and tonight we're gonna auction this guitar off," Weinstein explained. "Don't be surprised if I get that guitar back."
A local attorney won the guitar Thursday night with a $30,000 bid. The winner promised to bring the guitar back next year so it could be auctioned off again.
The 65 Roses guitar comes with a collection of 65 celebrity signatures who have signed the guitar including Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Slash, Peter Frampton and John Mayer just to name a few.
