Tennessee Youth, Josh Osborne, Struggles to Live Once Again
Josh, a mildly retarded teenager, has shown himself to be a very bright and compassionate young man. He has campaigned for better laws to help protect abused children, and in May of 2008, Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee signed The Josh Osborne Law into effect. I wrote about this in a previous article, Tennessee Youth Petitions Lawmakers on Behalf of Abused and Neglected Children
Today, Josh Osborne continues to live with his aunt, Tami Dozier, as he faces yet another crisis in his young life. After years of physical abuse, Josh is now suffering from kidney failure and is currently on dialysis. These have been trying days for the young man as he struggles, once again, to live.
His natural mother was planning to give Josh a kidney, but because of her own health issues and problems with high blood pressure, she was unable to be his donor. That complication sent Josh into a deep depression, because he was so counting on receiving that kidney from his mother. This turn of events leaves Josh with few options; one of those options is his father. It is very likely that James Osborne would be a match for Josh, but so far, he has not even requested to be tested to see if he is a match for being Josh's kidney donor.
The dismal prospects of it all plunged Josh into a deep depression for a while as he pondered his situation and his fate. He wanted to be taken off dialysis, knowing it would mean the end of his life. His Aunt Tami persuaded him to continue with his dialysis treatments and about the same time, Josh received a photograph of himself that had been previously made with Governor Bredesen as The Josh Osborne Law was being signed. That photograph and a very encouraging letter from the governor seemed to give Josh the spark he needed to continue living. Governor Bredesen stated, "I admire you for your courage and want you to excel in the future and continue to inspire others." Those words breathed new life into Josh Osborne as he immediately decided to speak out about the importance of organ donations. Josh has championed another cause as he continues to battle for his own life.
Josh Osborne has stated he has little hope that his own father will consider donating one of his kidneys in order for his son to live. This is a situation that no child should ever have to face.
Any parent who brings a child into this world should have enough love and concern for that child's well-being to provide for him at every turn. Instead, Josh's father sits in prison because he has already tried to take his son's life. To think that he might step up to the plate now just might be asking for another major disappointment.
James Osborne did offer his son an apology at his parole hearing. Did James Osborne really mean what he said? This is an opportunity for this father to prove that he is truly sorry for his previous actions. He has the power and the opportunity to take a meaningful step toward his son.
I can imagine the confusion and the ambiguous feelings that play around in Josh Osborne's head these days. What "should be" is not and just might not ever be. It is simply too great a risk to hope that his father might step forward and be tested as an act of reconciliation with his son.
If James Osborne is truly repentant for his abusive actions towards Josh, he has a wonderful opportunity to make things right. By choosing to give his son life, he can put actions to his words. To fail in this opportunity will reinforce Josh's thinking that he is not "good enough" in his own father's eyes. After all the struggle just to live following the abuse and neglect, Josh Osborne's very life rests, once again, in the hands of his father.
Source:
New Channel 5 TV News
http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?s=9236876
Published by Vicki Messer
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- Emotional Child Abuse and Neglect
- Child Abuse and the Behaviors Associated with Domestic Violence
- Child Abuse - Will You Report It?
- Three Types of Organ Transplant Rejections
- The Effects of the "No Spanking Law" on Child Abuse in Sweden
- Living with Kidney Failure - My Mother's Long Fight
- Josh, a mildly retarded teenager, has shown himself to be a very bright and compassionate young man.
- These have been trying days for the young man as he struggles, once again, to live.
- Josh Osborne's very life rests, once again, in the hands of his father.