On April 6th Josh - a beloved husband, father, son, uncle, friend, musician and so much more - went to be with Jesus. There is a huge hole left in his family's lives and we are wanting to provide as much support to Marisa and the kids as possible.

Josh battled a very progressive lung disease for a few years and after many obstacles, he finally received a double lung transplant. He was back to taking breaths, walking and enjoying life again. Things turned a couple of months ago and he was back to fighting and ultimately lost the battle yesterday surrounded by loved ones.

Please lift Marisa up in prayer as this is the second husband she has lost making her a double widow. She is also a fighter and we have no doubt she will be surrounded with love and support through this.

Through his battle, Josh stayed positive. And when times were tough, he focused on the wins. His last Facebook post speaks for itself:

~~

"It would be disingenuous - even untruthful - if I didn't admit that the last month has been difficult. A friend suggested I list the miracles that have happened to help me push through the recent negativity.

1. Today is the one-year anniversary of my successful lung transplant surgery. I am so very grateful to God for His hand in my life. I do not deserve His grace or providence. But as I look back over the past year, it is hard to not see it in some big ways.

2. 8 people volunteered their time to help me recover while in Tacoma during the first 90 days post-transplant. (Tracey, Millie, Kitty, Deb, Dave, my Dad, Ric, and the Cases). Sometimes corkscrews were thrown into their plans because of a call from the UW team for blood work here or a CT scan there. Ric walked

Ruston with me nearly every day for almost a month. We were granted a one-month early return date because the team felt there were no extra benefits to being on the Tacoma side of the bridge.

3. My family thrived while I was out of commission. I am grateful for God's protection and provision to them and to me during that period. It was never perfect. They stayed in our home (never having to go with someone else for an indefinite period or not knowing who was picking them up from school that day and they maintained a little bit of structure despite the jackknife a transplant can have upon a family).

4. We were able to walk the state fair. The year prior, I used a walk-behind oxygen tank and Tristin carried all my other tanks on my behalf. This year, none of it was necessary. There have been many lightbulb moments throughout the year. Climbing staircases I couldn't climb one year ago. Earning small deposits into our bank account that wasn't possible one year ago. Simple things I've said I'd never take for granted like walking, talking, and breathing at the same time.

5. I shared a little bit of my testimony with my dad's church, my caregiver's church, and my home church. These people (among countless others) donated to my recovery Go Fund Me and prayed for me daily. Some people still are sending prayers out for me every day. I was invited to a quilt-boxing project at Life Center NW. What an organization! And what a group of families and individuals that were there! I have this secret desire to continue working with Life Center NW. Who would not want to give back in whatever way possible if able?

6. My brother Dave and I took a trip to Pullman. We caught a game, sat next to Tom Weaver through most of it, drove through the new and old parts of the city, and said hello to some gems of people we hadn't seen in 20 years.

7. The guitar I nearly sold because I couldn't play or sing anymore pre-transplant has been used in worship again. By me! I left my desire to sing and play music on the altar thinking that it would not come around again.

8. Presently, I'm not as active as I'd like to be. But I took on and completed a project that was super amateur but was a big deal to me because pre-transplant I wasn't even vacuuming or driving anymore. For me to complete an outside project was a non-starter for so long.

9. I found baking and cooking to be fun. Bread and desserts - even omelettes. I also found a one-pan chicken recipe that was delicious to the whole family.

The list could be a lot longer. These are just a few of the highlights. Bottom line: none of these were guaranteed to happen. I believe it has been God's grace and providence combined with the dedication of a team at UW that has proven to care, to be watchful of my case, to catch me at low, low moments, and celebrate when we've returned to baseline.

To the nurses and providers and Fred Hutch and UWMC. To my caregivers. To my immediate and extended family. To all the prayer warriors. To the UW Lung Transplant Support Group. To God - who I am learning and admittedly struggling to have unwavering faith - this is your time to shine!"

~~

Thank you for reading and we appreciate you!!

-Rich and Tatum Hanna