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Last week after one of my posts went live, I scrolled through the comments to see what you guys thought of the story. It’s not something I always do, though I probably should more often, but for whatever the reason I did this time, and I’m very grateful for it.
At the very bottom of the list was one particular comment that caught my eye from a Chiver who goes by the pen name Geoff Rogue (his real name is Chris). His heartfelt and emotional story about his sick mom left a real impact on me, and so I reached out to him, and after a few emails back and forth, here we are.
I’m really hoping that Chris’s story resonates with everyone who reads this, and that we can all come together and help make his mom’s last wish come true.
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This is Joy Hart, who lives in Ogden, Utah. Nicknamed by her friends “Joyful Heart”, she’s as kind as she is outgoing. As Chris told me, she makes friends everywhere she goes, and all her doctors, nurses and home healthcare personnel think the world of her.
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Joy is suffering from kidney failure and was in the hospital when Chris and I first spoke. He said she was in so much pain, that she didn’t want to go through it again. In his own words, “I am not afraid to admit that I am a giant momma’s boy. She’s one of my best friends and one of only a few people that I can carry on extended, many hour conversations with. I don’t want her to go, especially since she’s only 65, but I’ll stand by her wishes if that’s really what she wants.”
Like Chris, I’ll admit I’m a huge momma’s boy too. But unlike Chris, I don’t know if I’d be able to handle what he’s going through as courageously as him. It’s hard for me to even think of that, yet here he is, sharing his story to all of us.
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Thankfully, Joy is back at home recovering now, and she doesn’t require dialysis as of yet, but she’s extremely diabetic and still on a ton of medication, so the future is still unclear. She lives with her husband David, Chris’s stepdad, and he told me that David is a great guy and the perfect pair to his mom. He came into their lives when Chris was 8, and stepped up to take care of him and his sister, along with his own son. Joy and David are best friends and he does a wonderful job of taking care of her.
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Via Instagram/joshgroban
For Joy’s birthday, Chris got her and his stepdad tickets to see Josh Groban, it’s the one thing she wants to see before she goes. But there’s one more thing she would love more than anything, a hug from Josh Groban himself. Being confined to a wheelchair, Chris had to purchase accessible seating for her, which happen to be in the nosebleeds, so it might be tough for Josh to read her giant sign.
And that’s why she needs our help.
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Via Instagram/joshgroban
The concert is on Monday, October 29, one week from now, at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. I figure if we all share this story that maybe, just maybe, it’ll get Josh Groban’s attention, or possibly even someone he knows who will pass it along, and we can all have a part in making a very special person’s dream come true.
You can share this story with Josh on his Twitter HERE, or on his Instagram HERE! Let him know how amazing Chris and his mother Joy are. If you want to, tell him what it would mean to you, or what it would mean to the entire CHIVE community. Go ahead and spread the positivity. And I think it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, please be courteous and respectful in his DMs.
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Speaking with Chris over the last couple days, I can tell you he’s a great guy and he really, really loves his mom. He said a few things to me that I think we can all take something from so I’ll share it with all of you.
“When I wrote that post I was hoping for, at best, someone to reach out and let me know that they knew what I was going through… Even if nothing comes of this, the simple fact that you reached out to me in such a time is something I am so grateful for. I love the community that theChive is and I know that one of the biggest factors behind that community being the way it is is people like you. THANK YOU.”
He ended his last email with, “I know one thing, come next payday I am going to be RAKing some people hard.”
So everyone, it’s simple. Let’s do what’s right and help a fellow Chiver in need. If anyone deserves it, it’s stand up guys like Chris and his amazing mom Joy.
KCCO,
Stephen
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