Who Is Joshua?

The Joshua Foundation takes its name from Joshua Cornelius, from Caerphilly, South Wales, who was diagnosed with Desmoplastic Round Cell Tumour of the abdomen, a terminal cancer, in December 1996 aged 5 and who died on December 4th 1998, aged 7. After his diagnosis, Joshua, had to undergo intensive and aggressive chemotherapy. To offset this in his 23 months of treatment, he travelled the world - California, New York, Florida, Lapland, Israel and 4 trips to Euro Disney - living life to the full.

In July 1998, following a trip to California, his cancer was discovered to be beating the chemotherapy and it was decided he could not travel overseas. On August 1st 1998, Joshua and his mother Sarah traveled to London for a weekend following this news and while at the Planet Hollywood Restaurant, Leicester Square, one of Joshua’s favourites, Joshua asked his mother if she could arrange for other children to go there for a meal.

That is how the charity started. Joshua spent the rest of that summer out on his bike and skate board, watching the charity begin. On September 27th when the first fundraiser was held, Joshua was there doing the 5k on his bike.

Joshua’s health took a serious decline over the coming months but he was aware of the work that was being done to make his wish of a London trip come true. In fact it was just 6 weeks after Joshua died that his wish came true.

His legacy stays with us in all that we do- many of the experiences we offer are replications of trips Joshua took himself during his treatment and we try in all we do, to inject a little of the character of Joshua which was vibrant, mischevious and fun loving. Joshua’s ashes are buried in Ben Shemen, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in Israel where Joshua lived 1995-1996.