Joshua Loaiza
My name is Josh Loaiza, I was born in Woodland Hills, California in 1991. My parents moved to Utah in 1992. My mother was diagnosed with MS about a year before I was born. When she became pregnant with me, the doctors told her she couldn’t have me, and that it would be too risky and dangerous to her health. They strongly recommended that she had an abortion. But my mom was persistent and because of the overwhelming love my mother had for me, even before I was born, she was able to bring me into this world. Without my mother’s love, strength and determination, I know I would not be here today. She is my ultimate role model and a super hero in my eyes. I have lived in Bountiful, Kaysville, and Centerville. I attended Viewmont High School where I was able to play and letter in the school’s Football and Track teams. I graduated in 2009. I am enrolled for this fall semester at Southern Utah University. I’m planning on attending a semester at SUU and then serving an LDS mission for two years. I don’t know what I’m going to study yet, but I plan to take mainly general classes for my first semester. I was honored to be the recipient of an MS Scholarship. As I look back at the 18 years I have spent with my mom, I realize I have never known her without MS. She has always had this disease and she has always been an amazing example of strength, courage, and faith in my life.