WE ARE CELEBRATING 80 YEARS OF BEING POSITIVELY JAX HERE AT CHANNEL 4. WE WANTED TO TAKE
TIME TO RECOGNIZE THE GOOD
PEOPLE DOING GOOD THINGS IN ALL
OUR
LOCAL COMMUNITIES. SO IT WAS IN
2013 OR STATION MADE THE
DECISION TO NOT ONLY TELL YOU
THOSE STORIES BUT LED
THE WAY FOR EXAMPLE DID YOU
KNOW IN THE PAST 8 YEARS WE’VE
COLLECTED AND
DISTRIBUTED TOYS. MORE THAN
25,000 KIDS AT THE ANIMAL
CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY
OF JACKSONVILLE. THANKS TO ALL
OF YOU WHATEVER DROPPED OFF A
FOOTBALL BIKE, A DOLL HERE THE
STATION DURING THE HOLIDAYS.
ALSO SINCE 2013. WE HAVE HELPED
ORGANIZE MORE THAN 50 VOLUNTEER
LOCATIONS ON THE MARTIN LUTHER
KING DAY
OF SERVICE AND NOW A POSITIVELY
JAX STORY THAT WILL LEAVE YOUR
HEART BEATING.
AS LOUDLY AS THE DRUMS THIS 16
YEAR-OLD NASSAU COUNTY LOVE TO
PLAY AND THIS WAS NOT HIS ONLY
TALENT. DESPITE HIS MANY
DISABILITIES JOSHUA BARBOUR
COULD ALSO
WRITE SONGS. HE EVEN LEARNED TO
FLY A PLANE BUT IS MOST AMAZING
ABILITY WAS THE WAY HIS
POSITIVE ATTITUDE IMPACTED
EVERYONE AROUND HIM.
JOSH WAS BORN WITH LUIS
DIETZ SYNDROME LDS IT’S A VERY
RARE CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISORDER
THAT AFFECTS EVERY PART OF HIS
BODY FROM HEAD TO TOE.
>>JOY PURDY: HIS ASTONISHING
STORY OF CHANGING OTHER
PEOPLE’S LIVES FOR THE BETTER
IS BEST TOLD BY THE ONES
TOUCHED MOST BY HIM.
>> JOSH HIS BEEN A SURPRISE TO
GET FROM GOD.
>> AT THE TIME I WAS 42 YEARS-OLD TRY REALLY WASN’T PLANNING ON HAVING ANOTHER
CHILD BECAUSE 42 FROM NEEDS
JUST IN THAT YOU KNOW WHAT LORD
ALWAYS HAS A PLAN.
>>JOY PURDY: AMELIA ISLAND
PARENTS MARK AND JOSIE BARBER
SAY IT WAS HARD TO UNDERSTAND
AT FIRST IN 16 YEARS, JOSH
BARBER HAD 26 MAJOR SURGERIES
LIVING WITH LOUISE DIETZ
SYNDROME LDS FROM PARTIALLY
FIXING A SEVERE CLEFT PALATE AT
6 MONTHS OLD TO REPAIRING HIS AORTA THE LARGEST MOST VITAL ARTERY IN THE BODY.
VERY SCARY. >> BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW IS GOING TO BE ALIVE THE NEXT 10
MINUTES, THE MIX IN HOURS THE
NEXT 10 DAYS.
>>JOY PURDY: OF THEIR 3
CHILDREN. JOSH WAS A CHALLENGE
TO
CARE FOR OFTEN SPENDING SUMMER
VACATIONS IN THE HOSPITAL.
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT DOING
TRAVELOGUE FLORIDA’S BEST
HOSPITALS FOR KIDS. AND THAT’S
HOW WE SPEND OUR SUMMERS WAS
REPAIRING THINGS WE CAN GET
BACK IN SCHOOLS.
BESIDES THE SURGERIES THERE ARE
SO MANY KNOWS BELIEVE BROKEN
BONES, COUNTLESS TRIPS TO THE E
R DURING THE TOUGHEST
OF TIMES. JOSIE OFTEN RECALLS
WHEN HER OWN MOTHER TOLD HER
RIGHT AFTER JOSH WAS BORN.
>> GOD WANTS TO TAKE TO CHECK
OUT JOSH.
GOD WHAT A PEAK IN WAY TOO SOON
YOU WANT TO IS SCARY WAR.
A STILLBIRTH. AND YOU
SAY SNOW. YOU BETTER STOP
CRYING, AND DO THE BEST YOU CAN
JOSH HAS A.
>> A PURPOSE.
>>JOY PURDY: JOSH’S DAD SAYS
LDS RAVAGED HIS SON’S BODY
GETTING JOSH, ONE OF THE WORST
CASES KNOWN TO DOCTORS.
>> WITH THE EXCEPTION OF.
>> WE HAD A BLUE RAIN.
AND WHAT SOME OF THE EARLIEST
KIDS BECAUSE OF THE SHAPE OF
THE HEAVY STUFF RUN INTO BRING
PROBLEMS WITH CIRCULATION
AND THANKS. HE DIDN’T HAVE ANY
BRAIN PROBLEMS WHICH WAS.
>>JOY PURDY: THE DISEASE CAUSED JOSH’S HANDS TO TURN PRECARIOUSLY HIS FINGERS
SEEMINGLY FLOATING BUT JOSH
LEARNED TO PLAY THE DRUMS.
AFTER WATCHING HIS 2 OLDER BROTHERS PLAY FIGHTER AIRCRAFT VIDEO GAMES. JOSH, NOT ONLY
FIGURED
THOSE OUT.
>>JOY PURDY: HE EVENTUALLY
LEARNED TO FLY AN
ACTUAL PLANE. AND MUSIC WAS
AMONG JOSH’S LIFE LOVES HE
WROTE AND SAY HIS OWN SONGS.
♪
I MEAN THE KIDS MATH. ♪ ♪
♪
♪ ♪
YOU KNOW WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE MUSIC WE TALK ABOUT DRONE THAT’S HOW THESE ONLY TALENT ON
THE FAUCI AND THOSE WHO TALK
WITH ANYBODY.
♪
IT WAS THAT GIFT THAT ONE JOSH FRIENDS EVERYWHERE, HE WENT INCLUDING IN ALL THE HOSPITALS.
THE CAYMAN START BRINGING THEIR
OWN EQUIPMENT BECAUSE THEY KNOW
THAT JUST LIKE
♪
TO SING.
>>JOY PURDY: HAS BEEN HOSPITALS WERE PART OF JOSH’S NORM JUST WHY WHAT HAPPENED BACK IN
NOVEMBER CAUGHT EVERYONE OFF
GUARD. JOSH COLLAPSED IN THE
FAMILY’S KITCHEN AND WAS RUSHED
TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE DOCTORS
DISCOVERED HIS ENLARGED AORTA.
>> THEY DID BEDS FOR 3 WEEKS AND WHAT WE’D LIKE TO DO IS SEND YOU HOME,
KEEP THEM ON THE MAN’S WE WANT
TO GET HER HERE TO COLLECT
LATE.
AND THEN WILL OPERATE ON THE
TOP 6 WEEKS FROM NOW SO WE
LITERALLY THOUGHT WE’RE GOING
HOME.
>> SADLY JOSH NEVER MADE
IT HOME.
IT WAS AT HIS FUNERAL JOSH’S PARENTS FOUND RENEWED HOPE AMID THEIR HEARTACHE LEARNING FROM
SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE JUST
HOW DEEPLY THEIR TOUCHED
ANYONE.
>>JOY PURDY: HE MET.
♪
♪ ♪
♪
♪ ♪
>>JOY PURDY: SUCH AN AMAZING CHILD WE THANK HIS PARENTS SO MUCH FOR ALLOWING US TO TELL
HIS STORY. AND EVEN IN DEATH
JOSH IS STILL IMPACTING THE
LIVES OF PEOPLE WHO WILL NEVER
MEET HIM.
HIS PARENTS HAVE STARTED THE
JOSHUA BARBER MEMORIAL
SCHOLARSHIP, WHICH WILL AWARD A
$1000 SCHOLARSHIP
TO SELECTED SENIORS ENROLLED IN
THE FERNANDINA BEACH HIGH
SCHOOLS, AVIATION
TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM. IF YOU’D
LIKE TO DONATE TO THAT PROGRAM
YOU CAN FIND INFORMATION IN
THIS STORY IN THE POSITIVELY
JAX SECTION OF NEWS 4 JAX DOT
COM AND TO JOIN THE POSITIVELY
JAX MOVEMENT