Josh Rogers was the one that got me into grappling. He was a judoka (Judo practitioner) who started cross training into Gracie Jiu Jitsu when the early UFC tournaments made the art popular. He knew that I had only practiced striking based arts (karate and kung-fu) and was very intimidated at the thought of being pinned down.
Josh was the one who got me to move to Mesa, Arizona after I'd gotten my first DUI here and amassed a few thousand in tickets in that time span. I moved in with him and his wife, Stacie, and got a job as a corporate prison guard while I straightened everything out up here.
Josh and I had a ton of memorable adventures that we'd went on. Over the years, we've both changed and developed in various ways. We have horribly different political views and religious ideas. We've grown apart over the years and then worked out way back together for a time. Both of us making bad decisions and trying to figure out what to do next.
Now I find out that Josh was in the Hospital tonight by a mutual friend from the past. Sarah told me via Facebook that Josh had stage IV cancer in this throat. The surgeon had pulled what seemed to be a cyst out of Josh's neck that was about the size of a fist.
Stage IV means the cancer has spread. This is where we can expect the good or bad news. If it had went into the lungs, he could die according to his wife Stacie. If it turns out that it's just in his tongue and tonsils, he should be okay after radiation.
I'll be going back to Riverbend to see him to see if I can get any updated news.
