2014 Recipient Joshua Miner
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The Following Information was written prior to the Pig Bowl in August 2014…
Joshua has a terminal illness known as Menke’s disease. Menke’s Disease is a failure to metabolize the copper that naturally occurs in our bodies at birth. Unfortunately, it is fatal and most children do not live past their tenth birthday. Josh’s older brother died of the same disease when he was two years old. His younger brother, Jeremiah (another amazing kid) who will be in tenth grade this coming fall thankfully does not have the disease.
Josh truly is a miracle. He graduated from high school this past June. But since that time, the disease has begun to deteriorate his body further. Joshua is turning 19 August 24th. He has few pleasures in his life. Playing Pet Rescue Saga, watching Netflix, and being pushed to the store in his wheelchair to pick his favorite foods are the highlights of his life.
Josh has just gotten back from Dorenbecher’s where they placed a feeding tube in his stomach to supplement his nutrition and now that he is losing some of his ability to chew it is hopeful that this will build him up in case of aspiration pneumonia.
Joshua has been talking about Disneyland since he got to go in 2005. His family planned to take him for his graduation gift this summer but couldn’t get the funds together to go as his mom only works part-time.
Joshua lives with his Mom, Angie, and his younger brother Jeremiah. The family could use the funds to take Joshua to Disneyland, and if any was left, to put in a fund for a wheelchair van. Angie, lost her first child to Menkes Disease in 1996 and was left alone to raise Joshua and a new baby (Jeremiah) in 1999. She also lost her husband of four years to an aneurism in 2004. Angie’s step father is currently on Hospice fighting stage four Non-hodgkins Lymphoma.She has had a rough go of it the last 20 years but has managed to pull herself up by her bootstraps and move on.
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