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Saturday, December 05, 2009
Today, my courageous and inspiring brother, writer of this blog, lost his battle with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, despite his strong will and great determination to keep fighting. We will keep the blogosphere posted regarding funeral arrangements. Josh's family and friends greatly appreciate your support at this difficult time.
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23 comments:
Prayers are with your family during this difficult time. We lost a family member to MD two years ago, and I always appreciated Josh sharing his journey.
The world speaks loosely of greatness but until we know of a person like Josh, people like my sons Paul and Pat who, despite the appalling debilitation of a disease like DMD, continue to fight the good fight in the face of one setback after another, they never stop astonishing the "able" among us. These is greatness. I will miss Josh and all he has given me. Walt Avery
Our thoughts and prayers are with your family during this trying time. We read Josh's blog regularly and appreciated his mention of our film. He showed everyone how to live, despite having DMD. His presence will be sorely missed.
Our deepest sympathies,
Darius Weems and the Darius Goes West crew
I heard Josh speak at the PPMD conference last summer. What a remarkable and inspirational young man! Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.
I am so sorry for your great loss. My heart is heavy tonight hearing about Josh's passing. When my grandson was first diagnosed two years ago, I contacted Josh by email. He gave me Hope and several suggestions and recommendations on what he felt would be helpful to Nicholas and our family. I read his book cover to cover...cried and laughed sometimes at the same time. I had the great pleasure to meet him this past summer in Atlanta at the PPMD conference. I appreciate Josh being so open and sharing his journey with us... it was worth the ride! I could tell just from the few conversations we had how important his family was to him and how much he loved all of you. God Bless you and I will never forget him.
I am so sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Josh was a grade behind me in school growing up in Cheltenham. I always knew him to be a smart, caring, determined, and incredibly inspiring person. He will forever be in all of our hearts. David Forbes
I am so sorry for your family's loss. Although I only knew and worked with Josh for a brief period of time, I considered this to be a true honor and privelege. I believe that getting to know him made me a better person, and I really wish I could thank him for that. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time. If there is anything you need, or anything I can do, please don't hesitate to contact me....I would love to help in any way I can.
i'm sorry to hear of the loss of Josh at such a young age! But he sure accomplished alot! He was a wonderful man who cared greatly about life in general and the DMD community.
He is now in the arms of God...renewed spirit & body.
RIP Josh...you will be missed, greatly!
Dee n' Timothy (20 w/ DMD)
"It was worth the ride" I think sums it up very well !
Such an inspiring and courageous young man ! My hope is that my young son Garin (age 6) posesses these qualities as he faces the challenges of his future.
Josh came into our lives when our son entered 3rd grade in elementary school. They became best friends and supported each other throughout the years. Josh was a typical kid in our eyes. He was amazing... he was always smiling and his positive attitude made you want to do better. Our heart aches as we send our love, support and prays to all of you. We know that Josh will forever watch over you. He will be greatly missed!!
Sam & Eileen
So sorry for the loss of your brother. My thoughts are with your family during this difficult time. I didn't know Josh as well as others, but he had a positive impact on me.
Our hearts are so very heavy to hear of your loss. Our thought and prayers are with you.
Dear Linda and Mike, am so sorry and sending you lots of love. ~ Karen Ellis
Josh and I first met three years ago when I started speaking to second year medical students with him. Josh was an inspiration to me and many others with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and I will miss him very much. To his family and friends, I hope that your faith and the support of everyone Josh knew helps you through this difficult time. God bless you Josh.
My prayers to Josh's family. He was such an inspiration to many, and a fighter. I am sorry I will not be able to make the funeral service but I will be thinking of Josh and his family. I will really miss my friend.
Krysta
I just arrived in Portland, Oregon to the sad news after nine years in Philadelphia, where I was fortunate enough to consider Josh my friend (and fellow Phillies fan). I don't need to elaborate on the great mind we all know he had, so I'll instead offer my best thoughts and condolences to the Winheld family, and issue a farewell directly to the accomplished man: Ride on, Josh.
Your friend,
Brad
My deepest sympathy goes out to the Winheld family. We lost my nephew and the young age of 4-1/2 just a month ago to DMD. His name was Josh as well. Josh helped my sister cope with her loss. He is someone Iw ill always look up to, admire, and honor.
Stephanie
I just read about your loss in the Inquirer (we are friends with Kristin Graham and she posted the obituary on facebook). Sorry to hear about your loss. Your brother looks like he was an amazing person. I have spent the last hour or so reading through this blog and he must have been, and I'm sure will continue to be, a great inspiration and source of strength to so many.
thoughts are with you
Mark Levy (Ramah)
I was fortunate to have gotten to know Josh this past year as well as his lovely mom and his great nurses. He was an inspiration to me as he was and will continue to be to so many. I admired and drew strength from his courage, compassion and sense of humor. I attended his service today and was very touched by outpouring of love for Josh and his family. I wanted to share part of a poem that reminds me of Josh. "Drop a pebble in the water: just a splash and it is gone;but there's half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on, spreading, spreading from the center, flowing on out to the sea. and there is no way of telling where the end is going to be. Drop a pebble in the water: in a minute you'll forget, But there's a little wave a-flowing, and there's ripples circling yet, And those little waves a-flowing to a great big waves have grown; You've disturbed a mighty river just by dropping in a stone. Drop a word of cheer and kindness: just a flash and it is gone; But there's half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on, Bearing hope and joy and comfort on each splashing, dashing wave, Till you wouldn't believe the volume of the one kind word you gave. Drop a word of cheer and kindness: in a minute you'll forget; But there's gladness still a-swelling, and there's joy a-circling yet, And you've rolled a wave of comfort whose sweet music can be heard Over miles and miles of water just by dropping one kind word. My love and prayers are with his family.
Phyllis Hewins
What an amazing young man. He touched so many lives, like mine. People he never met, who never commented on his blog even though those posts meant so much. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.
..he's indeed a great man..despite his situation, he helps people and does his best in doing all that he could possibly do..i will never forget how he spent his time chatting with us just to accomplish our biology project..even if he doesn't know us..he even quoted 'happy to help'when we thanked him :(..if it wasn't for him, we're gonna fail in class, we extend our prayers for his family, and we offer our greatest salutations to a man who never knew giving up and touched a lot of people's lives,thank u sir..God bless 2 all..
Josh, Joshy, JAW, Joshy-JAW... All of my ridiculous nicknames for you and I keep hearing you laugh at me about it. It's been a week now and nothing is quite the same. I keep looking at your book, sitting on my night stand, and I giggle every time i read what you wrote to me. It's so very me, yet somehow so very you. I love it. It's so bizarre sitting here at night waiting for you to sign online and then you don't. I never got a chance to tell you those elephants I made were going to be yours, because ever since you told me you wanted to eat them, even though i repeatedly reminded you that they were clay and not chocolate, i decided they were meant to be yours. I'll look at them in my living room and think of you always.
I miss you terribly, and all of the laughter you brought to me, thank you for all of it, and for being such an amazing friend. I only wish you knew how much I appreciated your offers to stay up all night and talk to me when i was stressed. Thank you for becoming part of my life and even though the Phillies didn't win the world series this year, they did bring us together, and i will love them no matter what for that! Everytime I interrupt my own sentence with, "but" i start laughing and no one knows why...i kind of like that though, so thank you.
We all miss you so much here, but I know that wherever you are, you are having the best time ever, and that is all i could ever really want. Miss you and love you.
-Cara
My thoughts and prayers are with your family at this time.
I first met Josh which I was a child neurology fellow at CHOP in the early 1990s and I had the pleasure of seeing him again in 2008. I will miss his good humor and charm.
Elizabeth McNeil
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