Providing Answers, Support and Hope in Georgia

Thirty-One Faces of Hope: Josh Davis

The lupus community includes people living with lupus, friends, family and supporters across Georgia. For Lupus Awareness Month, we would like to highlight some of our lupus heroes and champions. 

Josh Davis

It can strike anyone at any time:  Lupus is an unpredictable and misunderstood disease in which the immune system is out of balance causing damage to any organ system in the body.

My name is Joshua Davis and as my 2017 Senior Project: I started a fundraiser for the Georgia Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America. The fundraiser is in Memory of my Uncle Curtis, who passed away when I was 11 years old. I began participating in the walk with my mother and aunt in 2009. This years’ walk date is the 10-year anniversary of my uncles’ passing.  

My Uncle Curtis was diagnosed with Lupus SLE in 1993 at the age of 33.  He lost his battle with Lupus in 2009 at the age of 49. During the 16 years he lived with Lupus he was the best uncle I could have ever had. He moved from Boston to Atlanta the day I was born. 

He had many talents: a gifted artist, antique restorer, and singer.  He used his artistic talents helping me with my science projects and made puppets of my favorite cartoon characters.  That is part of the reason I’m going to become an actor.  I began doing puppet shows when I was 4 years old.  I would do puppet shows at Growing Minds Christian Academy; where I attended until 7th grade.  And, now I have my own puppet show business that I started in 2017; using the puppets that my Uncle Curtis made for me.

He was a member of Ben Hill UMC and also a member of the C. L. Henderson Male Chorus. The last 2 years of his life he was always there for me:  he would come over every Tuesday night when my mom had to go to choir rehearsal and he would pick me up from school every day because mom was at work; just as he did on April 27, 2009, the day he passed away.

Please join me and the “Hallelujah Walkers for Lupus”.  In 2017 we raised over $3,300 and last year over $3,100. This year our goal is to reach a 3-year combined total of $10,000 in honor of the 10-year anniversary of the Memory of Curtis Edward Byther, my “Uncle Curtis”.

Thank you, 
Joshua Davis