At 21 years old, Voorhees resident Josh Goldstein thought he would never be able to run. His family changed that by starting the South Jersey chapter of Ainsley’s Angels.
The wind rushes through his hair, the finish line draws closer, and spectators in the crowd shout his name. Almost 22 years old, Josh Goldstein only recently got into racing, though the number of medals hanging on the wall of his bedroom would make anyone think he’s been racing all his life.
As someone living with Joubert syndrome, racing had not always been an option for Josh until his father, David, started a chapter of Ainsley’s Angels in South Jersey.
Ainsley’s Angels of America is a nationwide organization founded when young Ainsley Rossiter, born in 2003, was diagnosed with rare terminal illness Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy when she was almost 4 years old. Ainsley loved to go on jogs with her family. She passed away in 2016, but her legacy lives on with the organization, which has attracted thousands across the country to compete in races they normally would not be able to.
David Goldstein, a Voorhees resident and Cherry Hill native, hopes to continue spreading the word about the organization’s mission. Though the South Jersey chapter did not exist less than 16 months ago, it now has roughly 12 riders and 70 runners — and is continually growing.
“My goal is to reach every special needs family in South Jersey and Philadelphia and let them know we’re here,” Goldstein said.
Running has become an important part of the Goldstein family. Goldstein is a frequent runner, while David’s wife, Sue, started running about a year ago and competed with David and Josh in Philadelphia’s Love Run Half Marathon on March 26.
Josh’s brother Ryan, 17, has competed in 5k runs. During one race, Goldstein noticed how excited Josh seemed to be about the race.
“Josh would be watching and smiling and seemed to be enjoying himself. So then I said, why am I not getting Josh involved with this?” Goldstein said.
Goldstein began searching for the means to create a customized chair for Josh so he could participate in runs. His search put him in contact with the then-president of Ainsley’s Angels, who called and asked him to found a South Jersey chapter. He was impressed Goldstein had raised $5,000 toward building a customized chair for Josh, which is decorated in Philadelphia Eagles colors.
Goldstein was initially hesitant about running a nonprofit with no prior experience, but soon warmed up to the idea.
“Why would I be greedy and not want to share the joy Josh has running with other kids?” Goldstein asked.
Since starting, Goldstein has moved forward with three goals: raise money, find runners and find families with special needs kids who would benefit and enjoy participating in races. He now has eight chairs for running, which he stores in his garage for big race days. In races, runners stay together in a group and take turns pushing the rider.
“They start and finish as a team,” Goldstein said. “It’s not a race, it’s a run.”
Josh likes to be places with cheering and clapping. He enjoys going to Philadelphia Phillies games and watching ball games on television.
“Since we started running, this is the most we’ve gotten to do together as a father and son his entire life,” Goldstein said. “Being a father, I always dreamt of my children doing sports, so this is good bonding time for us. It gives me a thrill that he enjoys it, and he’s accepted out there.”
Joubert syndrome can cause weak muscle tone in infancy, which can evolve into difficult coordinating movement as the infant grows. In the case of Josh, he does not speak and has difficulty controlling his movements.
Goldstein said Josh looks forward to the races and they keep him active.
“When he sees the pink shirts come out, he knows it’s time to run,” Goldstein said with a chuckle. “Every morning he points to the medals on his wall and wants to put his running shirt on. Now he has something he can think about every day and look forward to.”
Goldstein takes pride in spreading his message and gaining more group members. Recently, members of his chapter made headlines when Goldstein spoke at West End Memorial Elementary in Woodbury about inclusion, which inspired Principal Vincent Myers, and several staff and students, to push a special needs student at the Haddonfield Adrenaline 5K.
The student, Andrew Sylvester, was pushed across the finish line by his twin brother Austin.
“Spectators get a little louder when they see a chair compared to how they cheer with other runners,” Goldstein said. Riders are also given their own flags with their names printed on them so spectators can cheer for them by name.
When not running, Goldstein is a mailman in Cherry Hill, and Josh goes to LARC School in Belmar, which serves students with special needs.
While his group continues to grow, Goldstein encourages families with special needs kids to join. He hopes to spread awareness to every family with a special needs kid in the surrounding area.
“Maybe someone will think that’s not for their child, but I say come try it one time,” Goldstein said. “I will go to anybody’s house with a chair and take them for a run around the block to see if that child will like it first.”
Interested runners can check out ainsleysangels.org to find more information on joining or to register.
“I’m glad to be doing something worthwhile,” Goldstein said.
