2006 Merle Manganiello
In 2005 104 people died in San Diego waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. Nationally 18 people die each day because the need for organs is far greater than the number of organs donated. Awareness is critical to save the lives of the 90,000 people currently listed on the national waiting list.

Merle Manganiello (shown in photo on left side with Jill) wants to help because she shouldn't be alive. She should not have been able to compete in the 2006 Carlsbad Half Marathon. At age 45, cystic fibrosis usually would have killed the El Cajon resident years ago. And it very nearly did. Most CF patients are lucky to survive into their early thirties.

Merle received a double lung transplant just weeks before the difficult illness nearly suffocated her. And on Jan. 15, she walked in the Carlsbad Half Marathon with Arizona resident Barbara Womack, her lung donor's mother. Both women walked the 13.1 miles to honor the lives Chad Womack saved through organ donation following his unexpected death.

We cannot honor Merle, without honoring her life saver and donor Chad Womack.

In 2002, Chad and a few friends rented a small house on an ocean cliff south of Rosarito, Baja, Mexico.
Some of the best surf spots in Baja were within a stones throw and this to Chad, was heaven on earth! He got a dirt bike and would sometimes bring it down with him to ride the sand dunes. It was on this bike one morning while riding down the road about a mile to check out the surf conditions, that he was struck by a hit and run driver. He never regained consciousness. Then began a miraculous journey back to UCSD Trauma Center. Miraculous because he had no ID on him at the time. It was through the grace of God, the Mexican Red Cross and the quiet work behind the scenes of the Bi-national Emergency Medical Care Committee in Chula Vista, CA they got this John Doe back to the states. The miracles continued, leading the Trauma Center to finally be able to identify Chad and contact family. All of theses miracles led to the opportunity for Chad to share a final good bye with his family and friends. They also gave Chad the ability to serve his final “life’s purpose”: to share what he could with others through donating his organs and tissues through Lifesharing.

Chad left this earth at the young age of 22 in a place he loved, with people he loved and doing what he loved; true to his philosophy of life.

Merle, Barbara and Chad, all embody the spirit of Joshua. And, though Chad is no longer with us physically, he lives on in people like Merle, who get a second chance at life.

Merle, we are proud of you and what you overcame to not only get to the starting line, but more importantly, the finish line of the half marathon. Your purposeful life has inspired many.

Marathon note: Jill Birnbaum - Mann (Joshua's sister and the true spirit of Joshua) completed the Carlsbad Half Marathon this year while raising funds for Merle and her cause Life Sharing. We are very proud of her too!

2005 Deanna Brix & her assistance dog Malachi

Deanna was an energetic and vivacious nurse executive specializing in gerontology and physical rehabilitation when her health began to mysteriously deteriorate. Over a ten year period, she was consumed by a barrage of unexplained symptoms ranging from fatigue, sinusitis and hives, to major gland failure and trouble swallowing, to name just a few.

Soon her smile stopped responding, her grip strength degraded to two pounds and she became forgetful and easily confused. She had digressed from a women who could easily run up six flights of stairs responding to a "code red," to barely being able to crawl from room to room in her own home. Emotional turmoil and physical pain robbed Deanna of any sense of independence or normalcy. Finally a diagnosis, or rather three. Deanna was told she had Multiple Sclerosis, Myasthenia Gravis, and a growth hormone deficiency. Though any one alone would be devastating, imagine learning you have three major illnesses, and the realization that your life will never go back to what it was before.

After the diagnosis, while spending most of her days in bed, instead of dwelling on her situation, Deanna found herself thinking. She visualized how she could again participate in the activities she once enjoyed, and of ways she could get back to doing basic daily tasks that needed to be done. She soon learned to depend on a wheelchair for mobility.

Ironically Deanna and her family had been foster sitters for assistance dogs in the past. They were familiar with them, and what these special animals provided their human partners. The idea of obtaining an assistance dog became a goal for Deanna. Deanna applied and was accepted to be the recipient of an assistance dog, however, the waiting list for a dog was over two years. Unable and unwilling to wait, Deanna pursued an alternative path offered by Train Rite, a "train your own service dog program."

In January of 2001, through the help of a breed rescue program, Deanna and her family had a new addition -- an energetic, 75 pound, seven month old, Newfoundland/Golden Retriever mutt. They quickly named him Malachi, and though he had few house manners, he had an excellent attitude and seemed to respect Deanna from day one.

The training of Malachi began immediately, but was slowed somewhat by Deanna's constant fatigue. Malachi however, was a quick learner, trained easily and early on convinced Deanna that he was a genius. The team seemed to work intuitively together and training progressed very well and very fast. In fact, before long, Malachi was pulling her wheelchair with great ease and purpose.

Today, Malachi has grown and matured into the perfect service dog and companion to Deanna. With Malachi by her side, Deanna now has mobility but more importantly, Deanna has hope. In mid 2004, Deanna set a goal -- the goal: to complete the Carlsbad Half Marathon in January 2005. We are proud to say Deanna and Malachi achieved their goal and completed the Carlsbad Half Marathon.

Deanna and Malachi embody everything that the Spirit of Joshua stands for and in 2005 were the rightful recipients of the Spirit of Joshua Award.

2004 Chick Osgood
October 2003 San Diego County was besieged by the worst wild fires in San Diego County history. The fires claimed 14 lives, burned nearly 392,000 acres, and destroyed 2,668 homes, buildings and other structures. One of those homes belonged to San Diego Marathon Water Station Coordinator Chick Osgood. While most of San Diego County woke up Sunday, October 26 under a heavy layer of smoke and the stifling smell of burning trees and buildings in the air, many, like Chick and his wife Debbie were told they had only minutes to pack and evacuate their homes. In spite of the complete loss of their home and all their possessions, Chick did not let the loss break his stride. Within days of the fires, he and wife Debbie continued with previously made plans to travel to New York to visit their grown children and for Chick to run the New York Marathon where he even ran a personal best. And, only 3 short months after the fires, while living in transitional housing, and trying to rebuild their lives, Chick was on the marathon course making sure that the 26 support stations were all stocked and ready for the onslaught of runners. Chick demonstrated that while life can sometimes knock you down, it does not have to knock you out.

2003 Van Ballew
Van Ballew, Ph.D., former professor at UCSD, black belt in martial arts, and accomplished climber among other things, in January 2003 was now unable to walk or even speak in recognizable fashion. Van had been recently diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), an incurable, progressive neuro-degenerative disease that attacks the neurons making even the simplest of movements nearly impossible. On average most people with ALS die within three years of diagnosis. Van touched and inspired all at the 2003 event when after being pushed the entire route of the marathon in his wheelchair by family and friends stopped short of the finish line, and with the help of his mother, wife, young daughter, and friends successfully took the last steps crossing the finish line. Van Ballew was recognized and honored that day for his heroism and strength. Without words, he showed everyone that in spite of the tragic hand he had been dealt, he was not willing to give up.