Help 2 yr Josiah overcome losing his single mom

August 2022 JOSIAH TURNS FIVE

Josiah turns F I V E this month! Inga delivered baby Josiah at 4:16am on October 13, 2017. Lets show him some love with a $5 donation!!!

August 29, 2021 UPDATE & AMENDED GOAL

It is with endless tears that we update this page with news of the passing of Josiah's Grandma Julie. This turn of event requires an amended goal. Thank you for helping as best you can.

October 25, 2020

The Lewis family is greatly in need of your ongoing support in raising their grandson, Josiah, who is a delightful little boy who just turned three on 10/13/20. The sudden death of their 21 year old daughter, Inga, in February 2020 left them as the sole providers of her son, Josiah (see original March 1 story below).

Josiah has a significant speech delay which will require several years of speech therapy and cannot be covered under his grandparents medical insurance until he is legally adopted. His adoption has been delayed due to the pandemic and has become more complicated than expected.

Josiah has also not been able to attend daycare due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This, along with the chronic illness and recent major surgery of his grandmother, Julie, has led to the need for more childcare services than anticipated.

As a psychologist, Josiah's grandfather Greg has devoted his life to helping others in need and is struggling to keep up with mounting costs of caring for Josiah. Please help this most deserved family with a donation and a share/forward that will ensure that Josiah is able to get adopted and that he continues to receive his needed childcare services and speech therapy.

Thank you from the Lewis family's #BaseCamp: Bob, Chris, Evelyn, Lisa and Nancy

October 13, 2020 UPDATE:

Happy 3rd Birthday Josiah and best wishes and prayers to Grandma Julie as she embarks on her next health journey to ensure she'll see you graduate!

March 1, 2020

"Most people want to be circled by safety, not by the unexpected. The unexpected can take you out. But the unexpected can also take you over and change your life." - Ron Hall, Denver Moore

Dealing with the unexpected defines the shape and texture of our lives.

Toddler Josiah, himself, was unexpected by his 18 year old mom Inga who chose life for him and thus struggle for herself (and her parents who were still supporting her). But Inga, too, was unexpected so she knew the joy of being alive and raised by her adoptive parents. They had struggled with fertility through their forties but then found baby Inga, the love of their lives, in a Russian orphanage.

Inga was devoted to Josiah and was able to care for him with the help of her mom and dad who supported her along the way, both emotionally and financially. The happiest day of Inga's life was when she gave birth to Josiah. 

As he grew older, she would love to take walks with him in the park where they would play in the leaves and "bark" at dogs together. When Inga would walk into the room, Josiah's eyes would light up and he would squeal and quickly run to her. While her classmates went off to college and got jobs, Inga began building on a lifetime love of music, first as a talented pianist by age 6 and more recently in developing her voice and beginning to write lyrics.

She would sing for Josiah, the love of her life, but little did she know that the final refrain was imminent. Inga's mother revived her on Valentine's Day 2020, but within 48 hours she passed away leaving Josiah motherless. This GoFundMe page was created by a group of friends and family who felt nothing could be as devastating as toddler Josiah being motherless before he can even remember his beautiful mother, Inga. 

While peers of Josiah's grandparents are figuring out how to live on a fixed income in their retirement years, his grandparents will be responsible for Josiah's short-term extensive legal, childcare, and child-rearing expenses. Donations from this initial page will be used to meet these short-term needs and later our team will start a page to help with Josiah's long-term needs, like health and education.

Both his grandparents and Josiah's life, were changed in an instant; however, their commitment to their faith and to keeping Inga's compassionate and fun-loving spirit alive in Josiah will enable them to move forward. Follow this site for updates on how your donations are offering a better future for Josiah, and, hope for two very hardworking, dedicated, and loving grandparents. Please help as best you can. THANK YOU!