Middle Schooler Rocks the Mat and the Mic

Middle Schooler Rocks the Mat and the Mic

digitalsportsnews | December 11, 2014
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Karen Lunsford knows what it’s like to be a concerned parent. As a parent who wants nothing than to see her child thrive, she was shocked when her precious son was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. Karen and her family did not have the time to absorb what had just occurred to her son because just three days after the diagnosis, the tumor had wrapped around his brain and cut the blood circulation to his optic nerve, leaving him blind. Her son, Josh Lunsford spent six days at Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston-Salem North Carolina under the care of some amazing physicians. At the end of the six-day stay, he was cleared to return home. Instead of resting and recovering like most kids would do after such a traumatic experience, Karen brought her son, Josh home and he immediately took to his toy box and hasn’t looked back. He has been thriving and motivating himself to do anything and everything that a sighted person would do. Josh is now 14 years old and enjoys riding around on his dirt bike and four-wheeling. He’s also involved in the arts – singing and playing the guitar and mandolin. His Braillist, Denise Keller, and a woman from the county named Juliet Mauldin, assist him with his class work at West Wilkes Middle School, where he is currently an eighth-grade honor student and a member of the wrestling team. “Me and Daddy slinging each other around, pretty much me and Dad wrestling,” said Josh, of how he got involved in wrestling. He adds that this season has “been easy, just keep winning and it’ll be all right.” At just six years old, Josh began wrestling for the Wilkes Wrestling Club. “He’s a great kid and he puts forth a lot of effort, can’t ask for any better,” West Coach Raime Shaw said. “He’s there all the time just doing it.” His mother could not be more proud of his accomplishments. Karen says, “He is just so amazing. When he wrestles, when he wins, the smile on his face and all the children, the whole gymnasium stands up and it’s just really something to see.” So far this season, Josh is 4-0, with three pinfall victories and one win via forfeit. Josh has impressed not only his mother and coach, but he has caught the attention of local wrestling fans. One parent of a North Wilkes Middle School wrestler put Josh on his own personal website, while a policeman working one of the matches told Karen that he is “gonna watch him all the way to state.” Karen hopes that her son will be wrestling next year for the Blackhawks of West Wilkes High School. With such a positive attitude, there’s no doubt that Josh will be going far.