Personal Backgound
- Josh's grandfather was a concentration camp survivor interned at Birkenau. There's a picture of a young Josh with his grandfather hanging on the wall of his office [1.18].
- Josh's father was Noah Lyman. He died of a pulmonary embolism on the night Jed Bartlet won the Illinois primary [1.18]. Josh wishes his father had lived long enough to hear that they had won, because it would've made him happy [2.2].
- Leo McGarry is an old friend of Josh's father [2.1].
- Josh's mother keeps up with him via email, occasionally sends him shoes [2.17], and moved from Connecticut to West Palm Beach, Florida [3.7].
- Josh is, in his own words, a white guy from Connecticut [1.18], specifically, Westport, Connecticut [4.2]; he is also Jewish [1.1].
- Joanie, Josh's older sister, died when he was a child. She was babysitting Josh when a fire started, which he believes had something to do with a popcorn maker. Josh ran out of the house to safety and he is still plagued by survivor's guilt. Joanie loved music and wanted to be a conductor. She used to play Schubert's Ave Maria over and over again in her room [1.5].
- The clown his parents hired on Josh's 7th birthday did all his tricks for Joanie, leaving Josh with a dislike for birthday parties [5.5].
- Leo says that Josh walks around "with so much guilt over everyone you love dying that you're a compulsive fixer" [3.9]. Donna says that Josh has a hard time leaving people because "he goes through every day worrying someone he likes is going to get hurt and it's going to be his fault. " Adding, "Why do you think he walks so fast?" [4.22].
- Although Donna has no value to Eastern Europe, she has "enormous value" to Josh [2.6]. He also trusts her enough to say that he would "vouch for Donna with my life" [4.5]
- Josh wondered why Donna was pushing him to ask out Joey Lucas, since he thought she would be jealous. He claims he does not get jealous when Donna dates other men, though he does "everything in my considerable capabilities to sabotage it" when she does [2.14]. Josh says he's not dating Donna because she's his assistant [3.8].
- Josh used to see a therapist named Stanley. He stopped attending therapy shortly after Bartlet took office because he was concerned it might make some of the people he works for nervous [1.5]. (This Stanley is not to be confused with Stanley Keyworth, whom Josh talked to on Christmas Eve, 2001 [2.10].)
- Josh was 38 years old in 1999 [1.1 script only].
- In either May [2.18] or August [2.3] of 2000, Josh was shot in the chest after a town
hall meeting in Rosslyn, Virginia [2.1].
- He suffered a collapsed lung and a ruptured pulmonary artery. His condition was critical but he pulled through after 14 hours of surgery [2.2].
- Josh is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of the shooting. His flashbacks are triggered by music. He was diagnosed by Dr. Stanley Keyworth from the American Trauma Victims Association, at Leo's request. Dr. Keyworth referred Josh to a therapist [2.10].
- Josh's doctor advised him to stand with his back against a wall to relax [2.12].
- Josh has to have his blood pressure checked twice weekly. It's 130/87 eight months or so after the shooting, which is a little high. His right leg and arm are a little stiff, and he has some pain in his back, but it's supposedly all in his head (along with all manner of things) [2.15].
- The Surgeon General saw his scar when he was in the hospital while he was unconscious and declared it beautiful [2.15].
