Josh had Ulcerative colitis disease going on for 6 + years and his condition had worsened progressively. (Ulcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation and ulcers in the lining of the colon. An estimated 700,000 Americans are affected by ulcerative colitis, although many people remain undiagnosed until their symptoms worsen. Getting treatment for ulcerative colitis is very important, as the condition can result in complications such as kidney stones, liver disease, osteoporosis and an increased risk of colon cancer. People who have untreated ulcerative colitis can develop perforated colons, joint inflammation or severe bleeding and dehydration.)

Most recently doctors recommended he go through emergency surgery due to being so ill and malnourished to have his colon removed as a last resort thru a process called a Colectomy.  This surgery is a 2 part process that takes place within a span of 3 months.

At this time Josh has completed the first stage of the surgery which took place on 4/15/15 and resulted in a 5 day stay in the hospital.  He has not been able to return to work due to significate pain and a longer than expected healing process due to being malnourished and surgery complications.  Donations will go towards extraneous hospital expenses, weekly medical supplies, and help with household expenses while Josh is out of work.  Josh and his wife Annie (Michalek) live in Academy, Texas along with their 6 year old son, Layton.  Josh is the son of Terry and Colleen Hughes of Taylor, Texas.