Funeral & Medical Expenses for 12 Year-Old Joshua

Dear Family

We would like to update everyone that this evening, after fighting the good fight on life support for 19 days, Joshua has gone off to be with the Lord. To everyone who has prayed relentlessly and shared our burden during this trying time, we thank you. Your prayers and your love have comforted us and we are grateful for your support. We will be sharing funeral arrangements in the coming days for those who are interested in attending. 

Thank You!


ለተወደዳችሁ ቤተሰቦች 

ዛሬ ምሽት ለሁላችሁም ማሳወቅ የምንፈልገው፤  ለ19 ቀናት የጆሽዋ ኃይለ ኢየሱስን ሕይወት ለማዳን እጅግ ብዙ ሙከራዎች ከተደረገ በኋላ ወደ ጌታ እየሱስ እቅፍ በሰላም ሄዷል::  በዚህ አስቸጋሪ ወቅት ያለማቋረጥ ለጸለያችሁልን፤ ከጎናችን ቆማችሁ ለአበረታችሁን፤ ከልብ እናመሰግናለን ያደረጋችሁት ጸሎትና ያሳያችህን ፍቅር እጅግ አጽናንቶናል::

የቀብር ሥነ-ሥርዓቱን ለመከታተልና ለመካፈል በቀጣይ ቀናቶች ውስጥ እናስታውቃለን::

እግዚአብሔር ይባርካችሁ!




Joshua is a 12-year old boy who went to be with the Lord,  after partaking in a viral internet game called the Blackout Challenge which dares participants to choke themselves until they lose consciousness. The game has actually been around for years and is sometimes known as the "Passout Challenge", "The Game of Choking", "Speed Dreaming" or "The Fainting Game", but it's currently gaining traction on TikTok. On Monday, March 22nd, Joshua was discovered breathless on the bathroom floor by his twin brother who tried to resuscitate him until neighbors and the ambulance arrived. Unbeknownst to his parents, Joshua had been playing this dangerous game completely unaware of the risks involved. He is currently being intubated and the doctors have said that his chance for survival is extremely unlikely. 

Everyone who knows Joshua can tell you what an incredibly intelligent, funny, caring, and gifted 12 year old he is. Together with his twin brother, he would learn and master new hobbies out of pure curiosity and drive. Whether it was playing soccer, barbecuing sophisticated meals (better than any adult in our family can), practicing professional photography, experimenting with 3D modeling software, learning the ins-and-outs of acting including screen-writing and costume design, playing guitar, and planning his future of joining the Army before becoming a First Responder, Joshua has an excitement and passion for growing and learning. Beyond his tenacity for knowledge, Joshua has a love for people that you wouldn’t expect in a child. Since he was very young, he always expressed compassion for others. He would pray for people who were sick, stand up for others who were bullied at school, and practice CPR in case he ever needed to save someone else’s life. 

Born 2 minutes before his twin brother, Joshua is the eldest of his 3 brothers Caleb, Abenezer, and Nathan who was born just 5 months ago. His brothers miss him very much and can only talk about bringing him home.

Our family is devastated beyond belief by Joshua’s circumstance. We are saddened that someone who has a future as promising as Joshua is in such a critical and life-threatening situation at the moment. We are also concerned for other families who like ourselves, may not be aware of the existence of the Blackout Challenge and others like it. We are desperate not only to bring Joshua home, but to ensure that nothing like this happens to anyone else. We urge the community to spend awareness about Joshua and the real risks involved in not having knowledge of what kinds of activities children are involved in.