Thursday, June 13, 2024

Life Update - 2024

 Since my last post in 2021, a lot has changed in our lives and I shifted most of my writing to www.milesthebrave.com


When Carter turned 15 this last March, I decided to make sure to carry on with our annual interviews.  He's really just the best kid.  Just finished his freshman year of high school with his mom as his principal.  Excelled academically, socially, and athletically.  Earning a 4.0 all year long, playing football (1st string JV QB) and JV and Varsity Baseball!


We love you Carter!



Name:  My name is Carter Bradley Isbell.
What is your favorite thing to do?  Play baseball, football and go hunting 
Who is your best friend?  Miles and Wyatt, Finn 
Favorite Color?  Blue
Favorite Toy?  A skid steer 
Favorite Food? Steak
Favorite Drink?  Dr. Pepper
Perfect Day?  Baseball, football and hunting 
What do you want to be when you grow up?  An equipment operator 
What will you miss about being 14?  Nothing 
What are you looking forward to about being 15?
Permit 
What are you really good at?  I am good at playing baseball.  Welding, building 
What are your chores?  Anything I am asked to do.
What makes a good person? Empathetic, humble and helping others when needed. 
Favorite thing to watch?  Cops
What is your favorite thing about school?  Friends 
Something you can work on?  Presuming positive 

Sunday, January 2, 2022

2021

 2021 provided multiple opportunities for our family to face trials and accept kindness.

Miles finished six rounds of agressive chemotherapy which also involved 39 blood product transfusions and a diagnosis at the end of the year that his brain tumor is back.  In between treatments he enjoyed fishing, finding the love of his life his dog Charlee, and his friends.




Carter survived homeschooling his 7th grade year and earned straight As and extremely high state test scores.  He continued competeing in CA and Southern OR with his travelball baseball team and won many tournaments.  Turns out he's a hell of a catcher.  He also killed his first mountain buck this year with his dad.  Much to his dismay his mother made him run cross-country but come basketball season he was happy that he did.






Bradley completed his ultimate challenge of finishing our new home.  Completely reoding power (off-grid), plumbing, water, irrigation, EVERYTHING.  It's beautiful but doesn't compare to thei views.  He claims that his favorite day of the year was the "ditch date day" where he and Joy walked in water onto the property through a five mile ditch.  The cows were still happily eating in our meadows due to his watering come August.



Joy fought alongside Miles through each and every port access, chemo delivery, blood transfusion.  You name it.  Once Miles finished chemo she welcome a new job opportunity and is now the principal at the local high school.  

As a family we were able to enjoy many "cocktail cruises" on our property and a family trip to Carlsbad to visit cousins.  Bradley and the boys were also able to go to Reno to see John's 31' Coupe in the Hot August Nights Car Show.





The acts of kindness bestowed upon us were many!

Joe Montana is now in Joy's contact list and checks in on Miles.

Buster Posey wants to meet the boys.

We've had meals, hotel rooms, grocery bills, you name it paid for!

A blood drive in Miles's honor.

His school ran a lap a thon for him!

Other famous athletes have messaged us.

Our friend circle is wide and tight.  We love them all!

We survived chemo, living in a travel trailer, and moving into our new home!  We can handle anything!


Monday, April 26, 2021

Birthday Recaps

Both boys celebrated birthdays this spring.  With some downtime in the hospital I  decided to take some time to update my blog with birthday interviews.  Much to my dismay - I have been a little behind in this area.  Here's to recommitting to yearly interviews.

Carter enjoyed a day fishing with his buddies and brother.  We also celebrated with a family dinner.  To cap it off he was able to go Bass fishing with friends and caught his personal best.




Carter is an old soul and has endured many trials this year.  He has spent time away from his family because of Miles's medical needs, but hasn't complained once.  He is an invaluable help at the new property and can often be found driving whatever vehicle or tractor is available to complete various tasks.  He's earned a degree in construction with helping on the new house and has learned a tremendous amount.  Carter also hasn't been able to go to school in person since October in order to help keep his brother safe.  He still loves baseball and continues to grow in his knowledge, strength and skillset.  We are very proud of the young man that he is and love him dearly.

Name:  Carter Bradley Isbell

What is your favorite thing to do:  Play baseball, go fishing and hunting.
Who is your best friend:  Wyatt and Finn and Miles
Favorite Color:  Orange
Favorite Toy:  My .17
Favorite Food:  Bucksteaks
Favorite Drink:  Pepsi
Perfect Day:  Going hunting and then going 4 for 4 in a baseball game with a homerun.
What do you want to be when you grow up:  A Major League Baseball Player
What will you miss about being 11:  I don't get to play 11U baseball.
What are you looking forward to about being 12: Buck hunting
What are you really good at: Hunting and baseball
What are your chores:  Feeding pigs, feed the horse, burning piles, wood, anything I am asked to do.  Driving the tractor or skidsteer.  
What makes a good person:  Being nice to everyone and not arrogant.
Favorite thing to watch: SF Giants Baseball and Bass fishing
Favorite thing about school:  Seeing friends
Something you can work on: Doing what I am asked to do.
Favorite thing to hunt:  Ducks N Bucks
Favorite animal: Dog
Favorite truck: Ford F350 
Things I am proud of: My brother and my Papa because they are strong and they fight hard.
Person I look up to:  My dad


Miles turned double digits on April 18th and he spent an entire week celebrating.  He was mostly just excited to be out of the hospital and he sure made the best of his week.  He also went fishing with friends and celebrated with a family dinner.  To cap it off our friends let us use their facility which includes bowling, pool, axe throwing, and foos ball.  Miles rounded out the day with 20 friends by dancing on the bar while his buddy belted out "Don't Stop Believing".  The day after his birthday we checked into the hospital for round four of chemo and Miles was treated to a decorated room, singing, and his own birthday cake.  










Name:  Miles 
What is your favorite thing to do:  Shoot squirrels
Who is your best friend:  Wyatt and Finn and Carter
Favorite Color:  I don't have a favorite color
Favorite Toy:  My .22
Favorite Food:  Mom's spaghetti
Favorite Drink:  Izzes
Perfect Day:  Any day I am not in the hospital.
What do you want to be when you grow up:  A veterinarian
What will you miss about being 9:  Nothing.  See ya nine.
What are you looking forward to about being 10: More privileges.
What are you really good at:  I am good at making things.
What are your chores:  Feed pigs, feed dog, brush dog.  Whatever I am asked to do.
What makes a good person:  Being yourself.
Favorite thing to watch: Original MacGyver
Favorite thing about school:  Lunch
Something you can work on: Cleaning up after myself.
Favorite thing to hunt:  Squirrels
Favorite animal: My dog Charlee
Things I am proud of: Getting through four rounds of chemo and radiation.  
Person I look up to:  My papa, my dad and my cousin Mason


Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Miles The Brave

 As we continue this journey we appreciate your love and support more than you can know.  Please follow our journey at Miles The Brave




Thursday, December 31, 2020

Hindsight is 2020




 2020 has undeniably provided the best and the worst times of our life.  When reflecting back on this past year; hindsight truly is 2020.  According to the Internet, the expression means that it's easier to analyze and evaluate situations when we're looking back on them in the past, than when we're in the present moment. 

While it's really easy to simply describe this past year as the most absolute crappiest year on record - that's not the whole truth.  
With a little reflection and evaluation on the past year the good and the wonderful are there.

 

The challenges within the year allowed us to grow as a family and learn many new things.  As we shifted into distance learning in the spring to close out the school year, the boys were able to add career and technical education to their list of classes.  They became masters at weedeating, learned how to properly build fence, and both became proficient at welding.  Carter even graduated to driving the new fancy lawnmower.  In addition to the outside chores, they also found out it was oftentimes more efficient to make their own food rather than wait on mom to be done with more Zoom meetings.  The kitchen was a little messier, but their future partners will thank me later.



After one tournment of baseball, youth sports in California began to eliminate any hope of Dirt Dog travel ball or Little League, we went out of our comfort zone and joined a brand new team in Oregon.  Carter transitioned into a different program as "the new kid".  He didn't skip a beat and became fast friends and teammates with a new baseball family.  Joining the GasHouse gang not only provided Carter with the opportunity to improve his skillset (including hitting his first out of the park homerun), but it allowed our family to make new lifelong friends.  Growing up in a small community and attending the same schools none of us has ever had to be "the new kid".  I remember the first tournament we went to when we all dry-camped in travel trailers and how nervous we were to join all the other families.  We took a leap of faith together as a family and are so glad that we did.  

Although COVID cancelled two planned vacations - we were able to vacation in our local mountains.  We spent Father's Day with close family friends in our kids' first overnight backpacking adventure.  The last mile of the hike took us three hours.  Allowing all of us to believe that we were tougher than we believed that we were.  Little did we know how tough we would all have to be later in the year. 

Bradley and I also spent our 15th wedding anniversary deep in the mountains on backpacking trip.  I had to learn to face a lot of fear and discomfort on this trip.  Again, in hindsight this felt like training for the second half of 2020.









With distance learning and an early end to in person school days the opportunities to hunt and fish were endless.  Carter even got to go to Idaho with his Uncle and cousins to hunt.  He wasn't successful, but learned a lot about communal bunkhouse living and staying warm.  Miles caught the fish of his life this year and both boys have now been trained at making any wild game into a tasty meal.  Squirrel and dumplings anyone?

February brought devastating news that Bradley's father had brain cancer.  After two operations, radiation, chemo, and Optune - he is doing well.  The tumor has not grown.  Pre-COVID Bradley and I spent two weeks in Portland with his family during the surgeries.  We learned our way around the "hospital city on the hill" at OHSU.  We also learned a lot about brain cancer, surgery, and treatments.  Little did we know that these experiences would only serve to acclimate and benefit us a few months later when Miles, at nine years old, was also diagnosed with a brain tumor.  


After two weeks of feeling very tired and experiencing debilitating headaches that induced vomiting I took Miles to his pediatrician in Medford.  I remember telling Dr. Johnson "I know this sounds crazy, but we have lived the nightmare of having a brain tumor with his grandfather this year and I... it's just - Miles.  .  .  something isn't right."  

Dr. Johnson told me that if the headaches got worse then we would do an MRI.  The very next day they got worse.  An MRI was ordered and I took a half day off to drive him to Medford for the imaging.  As I sat in the room with him I could see into the room where the techs were looking at the imaging.  Everything was taking a lot longer than expected.  I looked into the room and could see them pointing at the screen and then I saw a doctor walk in.  I looked back to my right to see Miles in the machine watching the screen.  A tech came out and I went back to the room.  A doctor told me that he was so sorry, but there was a large mass.  I couldn't take my cell phone into the MRI room.  I remember literally talking out loud, "I have to call my husband, this isn't happening, I need a phone, I need to call my husband."  Bradley didn't answer as it was a 541 number and he was in a back appointment.  I then called Dr. Johnson who told me that I would need to drive Miles to the nearest hospital and he would be airlifted right away to OHSU.  I then began talking to myself again outloud.  "I need to pull myself together, Joy pull yourself together, you have to go get Miles, you have to not cry.  You can do this."  In a blur, I was able to get Miles dressed and call Bradley again from my phone.  "NOOOOOOO!" He yelled.  "No, that's not right.  That's not right."  I drove us to the hospital, managed to find parking in a construction zone, and then make our way into the ER as fast as I could only to be stopped by a nice older man who was screening everyone. "Excuse me, have you been out of the country?  Have you had a fever?"  All questions we would eventually answer five to seven times a week for the next two months.  

Bradley and Marcia were able to get to the hospital.  Prior to their arrival a high school friend who works at the hospital didn't leave my side and worked her magic to get them in.  She stayed past her shift and made sure I had water and sustenance to get me through the next few hours.  This was the first of thousands of kind gestures to grace our family over the next few months.  Only one parent could fly and we decided it would be me.  As we made the final ambulance ride to OHSU up the long windy road, I was able to find a sense of comfort because I knew right where we were going.  Bradley made the drive and at two in the morning he knew exactly which parking lot to go to and which entrance to find.  

As we navigated the next 48 hours of meeting neurosurgeons and living in the ICU we knew the right questions to ask.  We knew what to expect and we knew absolutely that Miles was in the best hands.  All because we had been through this before.  The day of the surgery Bradley's parents came up with Carter, Raylene, and Shelby.  It was a beautiful day and we spent it outside on the lawn laughing and praying and crying.  A few hours into the surgery the beeper buzzed and we were summoned into the hospital.  At that point we were told that the tumor was cancerous.  Anger.  Despair.  Defeat.  Those emotions stayed with both of us for several minutes before we chose to come out and share the news with our family not with those emotions, but with hope and courage and fight.  Our community near and far began to rally behind us.  People changed their social media profile pics to pics of Miles.  They held an amazing parade in his honor at home.  Messages, flowers, balloons, and financial support.  Famous people sent him vidoes, guitars, and signed baseballs.  Our main street through town closed down when we came home to welcome him.  High schoolers made hats to raise funds for us.  Our entire stay for radiation was paid for by others.  Yard signs with his picture adorned our community far and wide.  While the actual world seemed to be falling apart, while we were holding our world together, we literally couldn't see past the goodness of others.

Two days before we found Miles's tumor we opened escrow on the biggest change we could have ever made for our family.  After living in our beautiful home for over 11 years, we were presented with an opportunity to buy a piece of property in which we would be able to build a legacy not only for our kids but our grandkids.  It would mean starting over.  The house and property would need a lot of work.    We took a leap of faith, sold our home in two days and began to prepare mentally and physically to change our lives forever.  Little did we know that this change would pale in comparision to the medical battle we would begin for Miles.  


When we decided to go to Portland to support Bradley's dad during his surgery we were away from our kids for the longest period of time in our lives. 

This experience was another training session for an even longer period of separation for our family.  Miles and I left home on October 17th and didn't return home until December 11th.  While Bradley was with us initially and he and Carter took a couple of trips north, our family was split up for a considerable amount of time.  This experience made us stronger as a family.  We grew to appreciate the roles that each of us played in the family.  In each of our absences we all grew to fill the void.  While Miles and I were gone our family and friends moved our belongings to the new property.  As the country was facing an unpredencted election filled with such bitterness on both sides - we had a community of people from all different beliefs and political opinions coming together to help us.  

As we close out this year and look back on the last 365 days we choose gratitude over hopelessness, optimism over regret, and adventure over the mundane.  Hindsight is 2020 and we have no regrets.

"This might not be an easy time
There's rivers to cross and hills to climb
Some days we might fall apart
And some nights might feel cold and dark
When nobody wins afraid of losing
And the hard roads are the ones worth choosing
Some day we'll look back and smile
And know it was worth every mile
Wherever we are is where I wanna be
And, honey, for once in our life
Let's take our chances and roll the dice
I can be your lucky penny
You can be my four-leaf clover
Starting over"

Chris Stapleton's Starting Over

Monday, April 6, 2020

Happy 11th Birthday Carter!

Carter turned 11 years young on the first of March.  Now that we are at home, I am finally getting around to writing his birthday post.




He's an old soul with a strong work ethic.  Sometimes he worries too much.  He's really smart and works hard at everything he does.  He's earned the highest score a kid can get on the state CA test two years in a row and medaled in the statewide shooting competition.  Carter's nailed his batting this year, it's been very fun to watch him direct the ball.  Super bummer that we aren't at games right now.  He's padded his savings with several thousand dollars due to his work ethic.






Most importantly he has an amazing heart and is kind.  This year when we asked what he wanted for his birthday, we knew he could have said he wanted a new fancy bat or some promising baseball training tools.  Nope, all this kid wanted was to have family dinner with his family.  We love you so much Carter and we are so proud of the young man you have become.





Name:  Carter Bradley Isbell
What is your favorite thing to do:  Playing baseball with my friends, hunting and fishing with my friends.
Who is your best friend:  Wyatt and Finn and Miles
Favorite Color:  Orange
Favorite Toy:  My DeMarini Bat
Favorite Food:  Bucksteaks
Favorite Drink:  Pepsi
Perfect Day:  Playing in the championship game in a baseball tournament with the Dirt Dogs.
What do you want to be when you grow up:  A Major League Baseball Player
What will you miss about being 10:  Playing on my 10U baseball.
What are you looking forward to about being 11: Higher baseball league and getting closer to being able to buck hunt.  Looking forward to seeing friends from Etna at Jr. High.
What are you really good at:  I am good at playing baseball, especially 1st base and hitting.
What are your chores:  Feeding, weedeating, drivng the tractor, welding, working on dumpsters, delivering dumpsters, chopping kinling, chopping wood, stacking wood, whatever I am asked to do.
What makes a good person:  Being kind to everyone, not being a showoff.
Favorite thing to watch: SF Giants Baseball
Favorite thing about school:  Seeing friends
Something you can work on: Being patient with my brother and not arguing with my mom.
NEW QUESTIONS CREATED BY CARTER:
Favorite thing to hunt:  Ducks and Geese
Favorite animal: Dog
Favorite truck: Ford F350 SuperDuty
Things I am proud of: My baseball team, the money I have earned in my savings account, my work ethic, my cousin Mason, My Papa, my cousin Shelby.
Person I look up to:  My dad