Southern California’s Santa Margarita Catholic High School gave five-year-old Joshua the ultimate football experience! He was named honorary Captain of the football team for the game vs. Mission Viejo.
Joshua was diagnosed in 2015 at age three with a Grade 4 brain tumor called Pineoblastoma. He has gone through eight months of chemotherapy and radiation to treat the tumor, which we are happy to announce, has cleared! Joshua still goes in every three months for regular check ups.
Joshua was so excited to be at the game with his family and be honored with all of the football players! He took the field for warm ups and even got to participate in the coin toss! Joshua’s mom Lupe says, “Knowing what he’s been through, seeing him in the hospital and not having a chance to be a kid that whole year and seeing the energy that he released that day, it was heart warming. We’re blessed that he’s here and he’s come so far.”
Santa Margarita Football head coach, Rick Fischer, channeled Joshua’s strength and said that he believed having Joshua with them brought perspective to what life is all about. This partnership with Santa Margarita Catholic High School and the Jessie Rees Foundation was part of a week-long Joy Challenge. The Joy Challenge is a competition where each classroom has mini JoyJars and competes to fill up their classroom’s jar with quarters the quickest! One mini JoyJar filled with quarters totals $240 which is one whole year of sending a child one of Jessie’s JoyJars – AND a JoySquad membership!