Christmas in our modern world, has become known for shopping, presents, food, and a celebration of so many worldly things. But for the friends and family of former Elizabethton High School standout athlete turned elementary school principal Josh Wandell, this Christmas took on a special meaning of faith and hope.
Wandell, as many of our readers know, suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is also commonly called as Lou Gehrig’s Disease after the former New York Yankees great who contacted the illness and died in the 1940s.
ALS is a very rare illness that only a few people in the Tri-Cities region have. Like Gehrig, Wandell was an outstanding athlete who at one time looked like he was on top of the world, but then suffered the illness and became an inspiration to so many people throughout the area.
When Wandell was in high school at Elizabethton, his life was riding high, or at least he thought. Athletic wise, Wandell was one of the best athletes at EHS in the loaded era of the 1990s when the Cyclones were still playing the bigger schools in conference games.
Wandell was an All-State wide receiver in 1995 and during the 95-96 season, was on the Elizabethton basketball team that ended Science Hill’s 47-game win streak in a 57-50 double overtime win over the Hilltoppers at the Topper Palace on Jan. 30, 1996.
“Josh was an outstanding athlete,” said former Cyclone teammate Nathan Copeland, who went on to play minor league baseball with the Danville Braves. “He was very fast and physical; could rebound and block shots as good as anybody in our league. Josh also ran track and obviously, was a great football player as well.”
At one time Wandell was remembered for all of the athletic success, but as Elizabethton High graduate and current Milligan College baseball player Connor Brown has noticed in his time of promoting Wandell’s Faith over Fear message, Wandell does not like that part of his life highlighted.
Instead, while he was able to speak in churches, Wandell said that for 22 years God’s priorities were not his priorities He later became known for having an unabashed faith through one of the toughest circumstances anyone could imagine.
“Josh doesn’t like the athletic part of his life highlighted because he put football ahead of God and then it was taken away,” Brown said. “Where he is right now in his relationship with Christ is something I respect.”
A lot of people have respected the way Wandell has battled and fought in his life right now, including Copeland.
“Josh’s faith throughout his battle with ALS has been amazing to me,” said Copeland. “He has touched so many lives with his testimony and faith. He has taken the horrible reality of ALS and has used his diagnosis as a platform for his trust in God, and lives have been blessed and transformed.
Wandell has been an inspiration to so many young athletes. Many athletes at Elizabethton High School wear a Faith over Fear bracelet or Team Wandell T-shirts.
Brown has been a huge supporter of Wandell, sharing his story of the Faith over Fear all over the area the last three years. Another young man that Wandell has touched in a great way is Unicoi County basketball standout Trevor Hensley.
Hensley, a sophomore guard for the Blue Devils, has dated Josh’s daughter, Jayla Wandell, for three years. During that time he has seen Josh’s condition get worse but his faith in God get stronger.
“He always sees God in things,” said Hensley. “He has shown me the display of strong faith, and that God is always with us no matter what happens in this world.”
Of course playing for one of Elizabethton’s biggest rivals, Hensley plays at Treadway Gym quite a bit, and every time he is there he thinks of Wandell and it makes him play even harder because of the man he is.
“Playing at Elizabethton pushes me even more because he played in that gym,’ said Hensley. “I know any game could be my last. You can’t take anything for granted because sports is not always going to be there.”
It is now the Christmas season and everybody has gather around the tree and opened presents, but for these great friends of Josh’s, Christmas meant much more than that.
“He has shown so much hope and faith and courage,” said Brown. “He has shown Christ in his life. He never failed to trust God.”
Copeland said Wandell helped him see what the true meaning of the season is all about.
“Christmas is about God’s powerful love for all of us and the hope we all have in Jesus,” said Copeland. “Josh’s story is one of Faith and Hope in The Lord. Josh’s faith and testimony have touched many lives.”