Please Help Josh Higson Get Back on his Feet!

Hi, my name is Zak Higson and I am Joshua Higson's oldest brother. As some of you may know, Josh is a recovering alcoholic and due to liver failure, he was given about three months to live in October 2020. Through hard work and determination, Josh is still here, has come off the liver transplant list and celebrated two years of sobriety on October 2nd. During those two years, he made additional strides in his life, including holding two stable bartending jobs, moving out on his own and buying himself a car after years of not having one.

If those achievements weren't enough, he was fortunate to meet a lovely young lady who has been his girlfriend since December 2021, Megan Partridge. They have been inseparable since they met and now live together in Boise, Idaho. Everything was looking up for Joshua. He has made strides in all aspects of his life and is looking forward to a healthy, sober life.

Fast forward to October 5th, 2022: three days after celebrating his exciting new life and two years of sobriety, and a few days before his 34th birthday, Joshua suffered an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) stroke on the right side of his brain. He was rushed to the hospital where the bleeding continued. AVMs are genetic and the surgeons advised that Josh was unlucky enough to have been born with this. We were concerned we may lose Josh. He was rushed into surgery for a craniotomy and the surgeons were able to remove the ruptured vessels, remove the clot, and stem the bleeding in Josh's brain. Joshua spent several weeks in ICU and the hospital before he was moved to an acute physical therapy rehab hospital.

Josh has significant damage and paralysis to the left side of his body and is working every day to get motion back in his extremities. He is currently at Saint Alphonsus Regional Rehabilitation Hospital, working with therapists to regain his movement. We have seen significant progress in Josh during his short time in rehabilitation but he has a long road ahead of him.

Josh is one of the lucky ones as hemorrhagic strokes are often fatal. He has been in the hospital or a rehabilitation center since early October. However, with Josh's injuries and continued intensive physical therapy after discharge, he cannot work and still has bills to pay. We are told that it will take at least a year and likely 18 to 24 months for Josh to recover. Josh and we are staying positive and hoping for sooner but we don't know for sure.

If Josh ever poured you a stiff drink, made you smile or bought you a round, you will open your wallets to "buy" a "round of time" for Josh to focus on recovery. We are looking to reduce the stress of monthly rent and utilities to pay, hospital bills, equipment costs, and grocery bills. We hope you can find it in your heart to help one of the most kind and gentle souls rise and walk out of the dark again. Josh is strong and making progress but with your help, he can spend his time getting better and not worrying about where his rent will come from.