Josh Gray went to the nurse’s office after complaining of a stomach ache. Just two hours later, he was dead. When coroners took a look at his body, they were left stunned.
When he began experiencing a stomach ache, 17-year-old Josh Gray went to the nurse’s office at Dawson High School in Pearland, Texas. Two hours later, the teen who loved to travel and play golf was dead.
Doctors said the artery leading to Josh’s pancreas ruptured, and then, his pancreas did, too. In the aftermath of this medical emergency, they were unable to stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, doctors said there was no way to foresee the tragedy, making the circumstances even more worrisome.
“He went from going to school yesterday morning — normal day, happy — to having a stomach ache, to within two hours not being with us anymore,” Josh’s mother, Laurie Gray, said.
Josh was scheduled to embark on a missions trip, but after his sudden death, his friends planned to participate in the mission trip in his memory. “We love Josh,” said his friend Seth Blunt. “We all love Josh. He’s connected to us.”
“Josh loved everyone for who they were,” added his friend Austin Hurst. “I’m loud and obnoxious; he loved that about me. I mean, he loved all of us for exactly who we were. And that was the best part about being with Josh; you could be you.”
Left to cope with the sudden loss, Josh’s loved ones set up an online fundraiser to cover the cost of expenses incurred by his death. They are also raising money for research aimed at finding and curing rare underlying diseases. The GoFundMe account has already far surpassed its goal of raising at least $30,000.
“It is with a heavy heart and in complete shock that the friends and family of Josh try and process his passing,” reads a message on the fundraising page. “The Gray family is always the first to intercede and offer support the second someone they love is in need. Well, now it’s our turn,” the family adds.
“While there is nothing that anyone can say or do to make this hurt any less, we would like to open this account for people to give anything they can so that this family has one less thing to think about during this time,” the message continues.
“Josh and his family have been a source of comfort for so many people so many times. Please flood them with your prayers and give what you can,” the message on the fundraising page encourages. The page was established “by friends of the Gray Family in hopes to cover any expenses necessary that they will have to endure; medical, funeral, anything they need assistance with.”
The shock of 17-year-old Josh Gray’s untimely death undoubtedly compounds the grief for his friends and family who never expected that he would be gone just two hours after visiting the nurse’s office at his high school for a stomach ache. This serves as a painful reminder to tell our family members that we love them every single day, for we never know which opportunity might be our last.