Sometimes being a dad gets a little more adventurous than planned.

I'm Katherine, Josh's co-parent and the mother of his son, and I created this fundraiser with his permission.

While Josh was teaching his son how to climb a tree at Horse Lake, he grabbed onto a hollow section of the tree without realizing yellow jackets were living inside it. They suddenly began swarming and stinging him, and with his son nearby, Josh made the split-second decision to jump down to get away from them. 

Unfortunately, the landing caused serious fractures to both of his heels, and he is now completely non-weight-bearing for   at least eight weeks and possibly 12 or longer. His doctors are continuing to evaluate the injuries, and he may also need surgery as part of his treatment and recovery.

For most people, eight weeks off their feet would be difficult. For Josh, it comes at an especially challenging time.

Josh recently took a huge leap of faith and went full-time with his own local handyman and home-maintenance business, The Good Grandson. He built the business around helping people in his community, especially seniors and homeowners who need someone dependable they can trust.

As a self-employed handyman, though, Josh’s ability to earn an income is directly tied to his ability to physically work.

And right now, he can’t walk.

He is already doing everything he can to keep his business moving by coordinating projects, working with other trusted handymen and contractors, communicating with clients, and finding ways to make sure the people who were counting on him are still taken care of.

But the reality is that suddenly losing the ability to perform physical work for at least two months creates a major financial hit, especially for someone who has only recently started building his business full-time.

Josh is also a dad, and like any parent, his first priority is making sure his family stays stable while he recovers.

We’re putting this fundraiser together to help take some of the financial pressure off while Josh heals and figures out what the next several months look like.

Funds raised will help with things such as:

Anyone who knows Josh knows that asking for help isn’t exactly his favorite thing to do.

That’s part of why we’re doing it for him.

Josh has spent years being the person people call when they need something fixed, handled, solved, or simply someone dependable to show up.

Right now, The Good Grandson could use a few good grandsons of his own.

If you’re able to donate, thank you. If donating isn’t possible, simply sharing this fundraiser would mean just as much.

Every donation, share, message, and bit of support will help Josh focus on healing, taking care of his family, and getting The Good Grandson through this unexpected setback.

Thank you for supporting Josh and his family while he works on getting back on his feet — literally.