This
will get more elaborate as time goes on and I have more stuff to add,
but here's a brief overview:
Josh
was born on August 13, 1977. He was born with a genetic disorder that
prevented him from sweating or controlling his body temperature. There
were a lot of complications - respiratory infections, stuff like that
- and for a lot of his childhood he was in and out of hospitals. In
between, though, he was an extremely active and bright kid. He loved
taking things apart and putting them back together again. He also loved
to spin around in circles till he was dizzy, and run around with a pillowcase
for a superhero cape.
Josh
grew up in Menahga, a fly-speck town in northern Minnesota. Let's just
skip that chapter and say that there are a lot of ignorant, mean people
in small towns who don't like people who are different. It doesn't help
when they're also smart.
Josh
spent some time in Bemidji, MN, where our Mom, Sue, was going to college.
He also spent some time in Duluth, and I think (correct me if I'm wrong,
Mom) that's where he started to skateboard. He'd always been interested
in things with wheels, including BMX stunt bikes (somewhere there's
a great pic of him and my cousin, Bryan, on their bikes - it's hilarious.
If it's not on the site now it will be soon:). He took to skateboarding
pretty naturally.
After
high school Josh bummed around, not really sure what to do or where
to go. Most of his time he spent skating and squatting with friends
or family. Eventually he landed with our Mom in Crystal, MN. Josh had
an intuitive knack for computers. It's like they spoke to him. He taught
himself to code and network. While he was living with my Mom he started
to work freelance for SoleTech in exchange for gear. Eventually a real
job opened up and he moved to California to work for them.
He
loved California. The weather, unlike in Minnesota, was fabulous for
skating practically all year. He had his own apartment, cool friends,
a job, money, and (eventually) a motorcycle and a car. He loved skating
at Venice Beach and Hollywood High.
On
April 11, at like 12:30 in the morning, he was on his way home from
skating and crossed Sunset Boulevard. A tow truck in the center lane
slowed down for him to cross, but the car on the other side of the tow
truck didn't see Josh, nor did Josh see the car. He was hit, suffered
a head injury, and was rushed to Cedars-Sinai for emergency surgery.
While he was in the hospital, in a medically-induced coma to allow his
brain to heal, he contracted pneumonia after he aspirated on feeding
solution from his feeding tube. Complications developed, and two weeks
after he was hit his body finally gave up and he died. Mom, my grandma
and I were all with him when he went.
I
believe that it was Josh's choice to go. He never would have wanted
a life where he couldn't skate or couldn't code. It would have been
a half-life, a hard life, and not his life. He went out doing what he
loved, on his terms, and I know that this is what he wanted.
Wherever
you are, brother, you're missed and we love you.