Friday, October 9, 2009

Josh Tittle

I am going to get a little solemn for just a moment. Earlier this week a young man named Josh Tittle died of sarcoma cancer. He was 22 years old. He grew up in the same town that I did but we went to different schools so I didn't know him very well. His sister, whom I didn't know very well either, went to the same undergraduate school as me and we graduated at the same time.

I met Josh when we were around 10 or 11 years old at a vacation bible school that I went to with a friend. I remember that he worked at CiCi's Pizza when we were in high school and I saw him there occasionally. Despite not knowing him very well I can't help but be deeply saddened by his passing. Typically when you hear of someone dying of cancer, he or she is middle aged or older. Although it is terrible every time, normally a cancer victim has at least lived a sufficient amount of time, most often outliving his or her parents. Josh did not outlive his parents. I can't even begin to imagine the grief they must be experiencing. Josh was my age.

While my toughest decisions on a normal day are which class to study for, what to do with my free time, or whether to eat in or out, Josh was deciding where he wanted his funeral service to be, who he wanted his pallbearers to be, and what to do with all his possessions. From the time he first went to the doctor because of some pain in his side to the time of his passing was less than 7 months. About 2 months ago the doctors told him there were no more treatments left that could help him and they gave Josh a timetable for the rest of his life of about 3 months. It is unfathomable to me what must have been going through his mind as he knew the inevitable.

I think that were I in this situation the only things that would keep me going would be family, friends, and knowing that I would spend eternity with God in paradise. Josh was a believer so I bet this kept him going as well. In times where there is little of it, that is the beauty of being saved by Christ and believing in his eternity. My prayers go out to Josh Tittle's family and friends. If his passing has affected me this much I know those closer to him are feeling it tenfold or more. If you want to know more about the entire situation here is a link to a blog that his parents wrote throughout: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshtittle/journal

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