When I met Noel in 1993 his knowledge of God and the bible impressed and excited me. After years of not attending church he invited me to the church he attended for old year’s night service and I was sold. He was part of the youth and drama ministries and would often bring the word as a junior minister. I had a great relationship with God before but we would spend hours talking about the Bible and I had tons of questions, which he so aptly answered. I eventually got involved in church activities and ministry and over the years though not without many, many challenges I had a greater understanding of God and what is expected of us in our daily walk as Christians. Noel was more spiritually mature than I and I leaned on him for continued guidance and knowledge of the Word of God. When JB was diagnosed we dealt with it very differently. Like most men Noel kept a lot of his true feelings bottled inside but I knew without a shadow of a doubt he was fully relying on God to take him through this. He was focused on JB being healed and he never gave up hope.
“JBF Talks” to Noel Joseph
(Co-Founder)
"As far as I was concerned, JB was not supposed to die. Regardless of what he was going through, my faith was rock solid - he would live. I even told Chevaughn that I had dreams and visions of JB at age 16 or 17 giving lectures, explaining his journey to people, showing pictures and video of his surgery, his treatment, his struggling to walk as well as being in a wheelchair. I thought that this was all a part of the Master Plan. A powerful testimony to encourage and motivate others - letting them know that there is hope. I held on to that.
All of those nights invested in playing PS2 games at hospital and at home - Batman Rise of Sin Tzu was our secret mission. Together, we set out to defeat the bad guys. Even though night after night we were badly beaten we went to bed knowing that we’ll conquer new levels the next day. Another reason to hope. Even on that fateful morning of March 24th, 2007, the day JB got his wings- I still believed. Emergency services stayed on the phone and talked me through CPR. As I blew into his mouth and saw his little chest rise, I still had hope with each breath.
But, I saw him take a soft breath, turn his head away from me and stretch his right arm toward the corner of the room, then simply rested. I believe he saw his angelic entourage arrive for him. As I knelt by his side, I think I lost if for a moment as I remember hearing myself repeating: “Jesus, where are you? Jesus, where are you? Jesus, where are you?”
In what seemed like a flash, the ambulance crew got him to the accident and emergency department of the Port of Spain General Hospital. Even as the doctors and nurses tried to resuscitate him, I pleaded with God “do it now, go ahead, show them you can do it.” It only hit home when the doctor placed his hand on my shoulder and said, “I’m very sorry daddy.”
This led to a crisis of faith. I touted his healing and I was stunned that it did not happen the way I envisioned it. I felt as though I lost so much. I thank God for Chevaughn who challenged and lectured me and reminded me to count my many blessings which included my family and the wealth of talent with which I am blessed. She also remained steadfast in seeking God’s purpose behind all of this. Being a part of The Just Because Foundation is really Hope & Faith in motion. It took me a long time to come around to fully adopting this, but I’m on-board now.
I live with memories of JB. I miss his hugs. I think of his love for me, his energy and his bubbly personality. I chuckle when a fun moment crosses my mind. I look at photos of him playing in dirt or sticking odds and ends all over his bedroom wall as an artistic expression. Or, I would ‘hear’ his little shrieks that indicated he lost a game or he was upset or when he was happy about something. I had to conclude- JB would approve of an upbeat demeanour.
Through all of this, a huge discovery for me was that HOPE is transferable. Though it’s not for JB anymore it’s for every new patient and every family that we meet. Hope is renewed or reinforced, faith is reactivated, and even when there’s loss, we must regroup and HOPE again. (HOPE is our acronym for Have Only Positive Expectations) So thinking about JB now, I feel a sense of pride and anticipation that one day we’ll see JB again.
I believe that JB is a citizen of heaven, smiling that huge smile and causing the other angels to giggle and laugh out loud with his silly antics. I want to join in the festivities someday, but for now, there’s a mission to be fulfilled and a legacy to be upheld, in honour of Jabez ‘JB’ Joseph."
On the day of JB’s funeral just before he was wheeled into the chamber to be cremated, Noel encouraged me to come and look at him, I hadn’t looked for the entire service and I really did not want to see JB like that. I wanted my last memory of him to be his laughter and joking around mere minutes before he took his last breath. Noel insisted and I complied, I was too weak to fight. So in the privacy of the room we went to the open casket and I looked at him. I said nothing but the silence was disturbed by Noel’s praying “God please show yourself now, you have done it before, please breathe your breath of life into JB, show yourself Lord”. A moment I would never forget! Even to the very end Noel had not given up, His faith was strong and his Hope was in tact.
Submitted by: Chevaughn Joseph
The Just Because Foundation is a non-profit pediatric cancer support organization in Trinidad & Tobago established by Noel and Chevaughn Joseph who lost their 5-and-a-half-year-old son Jabez “JB” Joseph to Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of childhood cancer, after a two-year battle. They provide emotional, practical and social support for families of children with cancer at absolutely no cost. If you're seeking advice or words of encouragement to these courageous children, please reach out to the Just Because Foundation.
Instagram: @thejustbecausefoundation
Email: justbecausefoundation07@gmail.com
FB: The Just Because Foundation
YouTube: The Just Because Foundation