In
The News:In
The News:
‘Never Too Late’ to celebrate life for Janet Isom
A
day in the sun, enjoying the Reds
By Sarah Brooks
Tuesday, June 29, 2007
 |
|
ENJOYING a wish of hers to watch a Cincinnati Reds baseball game, Janet Isom of Seymour had her day in the sun June 29 when they played the St. Louis Cardinals. The wish was made possible with help from Covered Bridge Health Campus in Seymour and from the Never Too Late organization of Indianapolis. Photo by Sarah Brooks |
|---|
|
Seymour, IN and
Cincinnati, OH: Feeling very little pain that day and smiling more than she had in a long time, Janet Isom’s wish of watching a Cincinnati Reds baseball game was fulfilled June 29, as they began a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals. “I loved it,” she said, wearing her Reds tee shirt and ball cap at her home one week
later - one she has worn every day since the game.
Seven years ago Janet Isom, now living in Seymour with her brother, Dave and his wife, Linda, was told she had breast cancer after a routine mammogram at the age of 57. In a family of four siblings, Janet and Dave have always remained close. “She came home and said, ‘David, I’ve got cancer of the breast.’ I took it much harder than she did. The moment I heard the word ‘cancer’, I thought she wouldn’t have a lot of time to live.”
Of all the times, more numerous than he can count on his hands, Janet bailed Dave out of jail for using drugs and alcohol. He has been sober now for 12 years. “And now I feel it’s my turn to take care of her. When I got in trouble all I ever had to do was call my sister, and I don’t know how she did it but it just seemed like every single time she had the money to get me out of jail. She has a very good heart and she’s always worried about me and wanted to look out for me,” he said.
Metastasizing to her bones and liver this time, the cancer came back stronger than ever, after being in four years of remission. “The cancer is all over in her bones,” said Linda. In May of this year, newlyweds Dave and Linda found room in their home to be the primary caregivers for Janet, who is a hospice patient through Schneck Medical Center.
“I just want to make life easier for her,” said Dave. “We have always been close, but I want to be closer to her. I never wanted to put her in a nursing home, but if we didn’t have hospice to help us out, we would need to take her to a nursing home. I couldn’t have taken care of sis without Linda.”
“They have a bond that you can’t beat,” Linda said of Dave and Janet.
“How do you deal when everything is gradually being taken away from you?” Linda continued. “Someone needs to feed you and you can’t take a drink without someone helping you. We get caught up in so many unimportant things throughout the day that being there for Janet is the most important. You never know where the road will take a person in life.”
Being a huge sports fan and a bowler for more than 30 years, including bowling a 600 series, Linda said she asked Janet, “If you had one wish, what would it be?’ Janet wanted to see the Reds.
“Her main life was bowling, and when the doctor told her she couldn’t bowl anymore because the cancer had gone to both her arms, she was crushed,” Dave said. “The cancer had taken away a big part of who she was.”
They found the Never Too Late website, a nonprofit organization based out of Indianapolis, composed of volunteers who help make dreams come true for seniors ages 65 years and older. Covered Bridge Health Campus of Seymour provided the transportation to Cincinnati. Kelly Daugherty, executive director of the campus, was the driver of the bus June 29. “We thought it was a neat opportunity to help out and be a part of a lady’s wish come true,” he said. “That was our whole motivation for providing our bus.”
“We are very grateful for this organization,” Linda said. “Her face just glowed the whole day and she forgot about her pain. Getting her out of the house and down the steps was a miracle in itself, but we did it and it was a wonderful day.”