Main fundraiser photo

SPINA BIFIDA FUNDRAISER FOR JOSH

We are setting up this page for our Friend(s) JOSHUA Bridgewater & his wife Shawna. Joshua & his wife have been dealing w/some very hard times for the last few yrs. (theyve only been married 7  yrs. ) During their engagement & marriage Josh has had 14 of his 36 surgeries(w/more on the horizon) Along w/all these surgeries comes ALOT of medical bills that They just cant keep up with. Constantly they've had their  electricity, gas, phones,internet shut off making it hard for them to even put food in the fridge/ Forcing them to remain in an apartment w/black mold for over a yr due to not having any funds to move. Often having to sleep on inflateable mattresses at friends places on front room floors.  Josh ended up getting pneumonia from the mold on top of everything else he already deals with. Now has to use inhaler due to it.    Josh generally works from home selling vintage clothing online, when hes not healing from surgeries, going to Countless dr.appts, or doing physical therapy, along w/the often sickness he deals w/keeping him bed ridden days at a time w/ constant bowel,stomache and bladder problems.                                                                                                                      So some of theyre friends, and local businesses have started a fundraiser in JOSHUA's honor to help relieve their stress/ keep them in their Current Mold Free apt, and keep their phones and internet on so that he can keep working and provide for his familys Needs(gas,electricity,food etc) not to mention the $50,000 in medical bills (and GROWING, as he continues to keep seeing spinal surgeons/specialists for his current issues hes having w/shrinking leg muscles,nerve loss etc that hes tried to get answers to for well over a yr, enduring many Painful tests involving probing needles attached to electrodes poked into his muscle tissues and more..w/little to no results so far)    ANY DONATIONS WILL HELP!!!.  if we could get just 1000 people to donate just $50  we'd be able to wipe out all of their CURRENT medical bills and keep the Collectors at bay,which are constantly calling them,& sending them letters.
Despite all theyve been through in their yrs together. The Bridgewater couple are some of the nicest, upbeat people who truly radiate LOVE as it should be . You see this immediately when you meet them. Josh is one of the most Positive people ive had the privelege to meet. He rarely lets on about how much pain he's in, how sick he gets, or his personal/financial struggles. He has a serious Lust for Life, you can even see it in all of his hospital photos. Always throwing a smile and Hang Loose. When he goes in for surgeries and his wife is crying due to her fear that everything will turn out ok. Josh is cracking jokes, praying over her to remain calm and to stay Positive.  He often quotes that what gets him through day to day life is "P.M.A. and Stoke for life" (Positive Mental Attitude)   to truly KNOW josh is to love him. His positive demeanor is contagious. For someone who has been through so much in his life, youd never know it due to how he carries himself. He sees the beautiful in the smallest things, children, animals, just a nice sunny day. Never taking one moment for granted, ..When he is feeling good you'll find him at the local skatepark (even at 42 yrs old), surfing, snowboarding or anything else he puts his mind too. Not to bad for a kid who was told in the 70's that he'd never be able to WAlK! The Dr's obviously didnt know who they were talkin to. :)

A Little background story. Josh was born w/a huge hole in his back w/his spinal cord exposed to the outside of his body. His first Experience in this world was having Surgery. And that hasnt stopped to this day. As mentioned, he's had 32 surgeries, ranging from straightening out his severely bowed legs/ 3 times. Spinal cord surgery /5 times. (recently /right before he was to get married.. he had a routine spinal surgery where unfortunatley he contacted a staph infection/which came 1 day from Killing him. left him in the hospital for 29 days on Antibiotic i.v.'s and spinal tap.  Dr 's told him he was lucky to be alive and that he may not WALK out of their due to the Spinal Meningitis he now had.  Josh's Positive Response" im not only gonna walk out of here, but im gonna Dance, because i have a wedding to Dance at in a couple of months" and he DID Dance at his wedding/  nothing keeps him down)  Having his bladder replaced w/a fake bladder / 4 times. (prior to him being able to have a fake bladder  he had to wear diapers& a rubber Urinary collection device on his leg all throughout school/high school. Often taunted being called "piss pocket", "bag fag" & more.  which lead to years of depression etc. but eventuallly as he grew up he got more secure and Embraced his condition and became the awesome / positive person he is Today )  their have been countless more surgeries. too many to list.                                                                                                   Since theyve been married the medical troubles started on day one.... Josh ended up in the E.R. on their honeymoon in hawaii 3 times. Making their honeymoon a bit more burdensome then one would hope for.  Turns out his fake bladder was Eroding and needed immediate removal.  When they got home from honeymoon he had to have immediate surgery to Remove it, then several months later had to have yet Another fake bladder Implanted  leaving him bed ridden w/tubes in his stomache for about 6 months. Meanwhile his wife who had a great paying job got Layed off. She remained layed off and looking for work for almost 2 yrs... This forced josh to sell all his prized posessions at the time, his motorcycle, vintage furniture, his car (they downsized to be one car family) ,Collectibles, childhood toys/sports cards etc pretty much anything of value to pay rent/ have food in fridge. 
      Fast forward to Today, things are looking up. Shawna is now a manager at a local clothing store Buffalo Exchange. making $15 /hr working Full Time.  Josh still tries to sell vintage clothes when he can, but nearly impossible when they cant afford to keep internet/phones on.   WE Really hope that this fundraiser and THIS Page in particular will be a Success in helping them relieve the Stress/Burden and Worry that comes along w/owing so much in medical bills that they Clearly cant pay for. This Family truly needs a Break.  I could write so much more about what He/ & They have endured together, how awesome he is as a positive person,and how they are Together. But that would take days to write. Hopefully these few paragraphs give a glimpse of what theyre dealing with/ who they are/ and why they are deserving of anyones help that can help this couple out. Thanks for your time and Consideration.   and as Josh would say.. "Cheers,   P.M.A. All the Way"!!!
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Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $100 
    • 4 yrs
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Organizer

Buddy N Bettie
Organizer
Long Beach, CA

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