Josh has been a good friend of mine for over four years, and it’s been heartbreaking to watch him go through so much pain. For the last three years, he’s struggled with severe osteoarthritis in his knees and hip. His knees have been bone on bone for the past year, which started all of his severe pain. Every three months, he gets injections just to get by. About a year and a half ago, his hip began hurting from arthritis, and he started getting injections there too. They helped for a while, but at the beginning of January, his hip pain became so extreme that he couldn’t bear any weight on his left leg. After seeing his doctor and getting X-rays and an MRI, Josh was diagnosed with avascular necrosis in his hip, and it has collapsed. The only way to fix this is with a hip replacement. Unfortunately, after seeing a surgeon, he was told he couldn’t have the surgery unless he lost a significant amount of weight. Josh is a bigger guy, and this news left him feeling defeated. His life has come to a standstill. He can’t do much on his own anymore because of the pain, and he hasn’t been able to work since the beginning of January. My hope in starting this fundraiser is to help Josh get the support he needs—whether it’s for surgery or GLP-1s to help him lose the weight—since his insurance doesn’t cover weight loss treatments. Josh has worked for a school district as a school bus driver and lunchroom monitor for over 23 years. He loves his job and misses his kiddos dearly. Talking about work always brings him to tears. Josh is an amazing person with a genuine and giving heart. Seeing him go through this pain, both physically and emotionally, breaks my heart. I hope that with your help, we can get Josh back to work, bring back his quality of life, and help him be happy again—the way I’ve always known him to be. Please consider being a beacon of hope for Josh. Your support can help him lose the weight he needs for surgery and allow him to be himself again.