Josh's Cancer Battle

On April 4, 2017, just days after his 30th birthday, Josh was diagnosed with advanced squamous cell carcinoma in his tongue and lymph nodes. After lots of testing, it was determined that Josh would need to go through major surgery and follow up treatment. On May 16, Josh had surgery at the University of Michigan. At this time they removed half of his tongue and reconstructed it with a major artery in his dominant arm, along with skin from his forearm. They then took a skin graft from his thigh in order to cover his arm. In addition, they removed all of his lymph nodes in the left side of his neck. Due to all the swelling, he also needed a tracheotomy and a feeding tube. Unfortunately, during recovery, Josh had to undergo two additional surgeries to try to clear out a blood clot and an infection. This caused his hospital stay to double, as he had to stay in the hospital for 14 days.

The reason we are trying to raise money is that Josh will need to be off work for about six months in addition to all of the medical bills. We appreciate all of your prayers during this difficult time and feel blessed to have so many family members and friends supporting us.