Joshua Perez

We’re writing this on behalf of Josh and Acsa after they have already been traveling a long journey. A year ago in April, Josh noticed he was loosing weight, getting shortness of breath, and experiencing inflammation which made basic daily activities painful. The doctors and specialists didn’t have answer. Within a year everything started to decline.

All the symptoms worsened to the point that he couldn’t properly swallow. One evening during dinner, a bite of food lodged in his throat and his wife had to perform the Heimlich maneuver to prevent him from choking. He went to the hospital to seek treatment and answers. The date was February 15th and he hasn’t left the hospital since that day.

In the 6 weeks he’s been there, his weight continued to drop. Josh is nearly half his normal body weight and size. Ultimately they decided to  insert a feeding tube so he could receive nutrition. Then it became increasingly hard to breathe so they inserted a breathing tube. He was admitted to ICU where he remains under close observation but his condition has not improved. The current diagnosis is Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM) and they have been treating the symptoms so he can gain enough strength to leave the hospital.

He’s just trying to get well enough to go home to his loving family. He’s been unable to work during his hospital stay and his lovely wife has been the rock and the strength for their family. She is an incredible prayer warrior.

Please continue to pray for Josh, Acsa and their children. This has been a very challenging time and any donations will be greatly appreciated.