1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:09,000 Speaker 1: Hello, friends, Welcome to Story Behind podcast. This is the 2 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:12,200 Speaker 1: show for people who love hearing a good story and 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:15,720 Speaker 1: who believe the world could use more positivity. We're the 4 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:18,919 Speaker 1: team behind God Updates and God to and we hope 5 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: these weekly short stories will brighten your day. 6 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 2: Hi, friends and loyal listeners, Welcome back to another episode 7 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 2: of the Story Behind Behind. What you may be wondering 8 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:40,879 Speaker 2: and thinking, well, you can define however you want, but 9 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 2: the way I've chosen to look at it is behind 10 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 2: the stories that you might find normally on your news 11 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 2: or in your social media feed, these are the stories 12 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 2: that are positive, that are going to help you and 13 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:58,600 Speaker 2: encourage you in your walk with the Lord, or however 14 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 2: you go about your daily life, just knowing that behind 15 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 2: all the mess, behind all the confusion, there's still good 16 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 2: stories and good people and good things that happen. So 17 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 2: let's get to this week. 18 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: Now. 19 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:15,679 Speaker 2: With all that positivity being mentioned, I do want to 20 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 2: say that the two stories we have for you in 21 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 2: this week's episode involve that thing that, pardon my language, 22 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 2: really sucks cancer. However, even in the midst of that 23 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 2: horrible disease, there are good stories that come out of it. 24 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:35,120 Speaker 2: There are survival stories and there are families that carry on, 25 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 2: So let's get to that in just a few minutes. Again. 26 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 2: I'm Sean McAvoy, your host. I'm the executive director of 27 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 2: content here at the Salem Web Network and just wanted 28 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 2: to remind you that all of our God Updates stories 29 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 2: that we tell on the Story Behind podcast can be 30 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 2: found at the God Updates blog, at GodTube dot com, 31 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 2: slash blog, and they all have a video component that 32 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 2: you can follow along if you want to go even 33 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 2: further behind the Story Behind. I'll be back in just 34 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 2: a few minutes with the story of a Father's Final 35 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 2: Goal and Howard lives on after his battle with cancer ended. 36 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 2: All right, welcome back. This story is written by Julie 37 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:20,920 Speaker 2: Provost and is titled A Father's Final Goal lives On 38 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 2: as his family completes three hundred and sixty five days 39 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 2: of playing catch. In March of twenty twenty four, Corey 40 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:34,079 Speaker 2: Wiederan of Ankony, Iowa, found out he had cancer. Corey 41 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:37,240 Speaker 2: passed away in January of this year, twenty twenty six, 42 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 2: from a rare form of kidney cancer. He left behind 43 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:45,080 Speaker 2: his wife, Brittany, and two boys, Kellen twelve and Beckett eight, 44 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:48,680 Speaker 2: but the three of them are helping keep Corey's spirit 45 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:52,079 Speaker 2: alive by continuing one of his important goals. It was 46 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:55,079 Speaker 2: a day in March of twenty twenty four that Corey 47 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 2: called out for his wife from another room. He had 48 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 2: passed blood in his urine, which led to surgeries, a 49 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:08,359 Speaker 2: clinical trial, and radiation. Unfortunately, the cancer kept spreading as 50 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 2: a heartbreaking reality for the whole family. But one thing 51 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 2: about Corey is that he loved bonding with his boys. 52 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 2: When he knew his days would be limited, he decided 53 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 2: to set a goal playing catch with his boys for 54 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 2: three hundred and sixty five days in a row. Of course, 55 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 2: they're from Iowa. This is the Field of Dreams movie 56 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 2: all over again. A perfect goal for a baseball loving family. 57 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 2: We would always laugh and talk, Kellen shares. They would 58 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 2: throw the ball twenty times, ending on a pop fly. 59 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 2: I didn't know which one would be my last one, 60 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 2: the young boy said, so I tried spending as much 61 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 2: time with him. They also got to go to Wrigley 62 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:50,360 Speaker 2: Field in Chicago. They are all big Cubs fans, and 63 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 2: he and his family threw out the first pitch. It's 64 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 2: like Payne went away for forty eight hours, Britney said, 65 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 2: we got to sing, Go, Cubs Go. They even played 66 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 2: catch in the hotel room. It was beautiful. By the 67 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 2: fall of twenty twenty five, Corey had gotten worse and 68 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 2: made the difficult decision to enter hospice. We would tell 69 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 2: each other, if you'll make it to October, you have 70 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 2: to make it through October, Britney shares, and he was 71 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:22,840 Speaker 2: able to make it through October, celebrating their anniversary and birthdays. 72 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 2: Even though Corey had become so weak, they still continued 73 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 2: to play catch each day. On his last few days, 74 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:33,239 Speaker 2: he was still fighting, Kellen says, and he never stopped fighting, 75 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:36,720 Speaker 2: but a lesson for his sins. In total, the Ederans 76 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 2: played catch for two hundred eighty nine days before Corey 77 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 2: passed away on January thirteenth, twenty twenty six, and although 78 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 2: the family is grieving, Corey showed them how to handle 79 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 2: hard better, which is why they wanted to finish Corey's challenge. 80 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:55,919 Speaker 2: I knew we had to finish it for CORP, Britney says, 81 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 2: No pun intended, but I could not drop the ball 82 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:02,719 Speaker 2: on this one. Brittany and her boys kept the challenge 83 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 2: going at the funeral and the two months that followed, 84 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:09,280 Speaker 2: they finally reached three hundred and sixty five days. It 85 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:12,719 Speaker 2: felt like I was right by him, Beckett shares. But 86 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:16,040 Speaker 2: they didn't stop there. They are still playing catch every day, 87 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:20,120 Speaker 2: over four hundred days later, missing and remembering their day 88 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:23,280 Speaker 2: and getting through the hard stuff each and every day. 89 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 2: We wish Brittany, Kellen and Beckett many blessings as they 90 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 2: move forward after the loss of Corey, never forgetting what 91 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:35,039 Speaker 2: he taught them about life. As it says in Psalm 92 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 2: thirty four eighteen, the Lord is close to the broken 93 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 2: hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. While 94 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:45,920 Speaker 2: you get the tissues and I recover a little bit, 95 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:50,039 Speaker 2: listen to this update. Well, I come back in a 96 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,039 Speaker 2: few minutes and tell you about a young girl battling 97 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 2: cancer and what her teacher and fellow students did to 98 00:05:55,360 --> 00:06:11,280 Speaker 2: support her. All right, my eyes are dry again, and 99 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:14,280 Speaker 2: I'm ready to give this one an attempt. I'll let 100 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:17,119 Speaker 2: you in on a little secret here, though. Our team 101 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 2: spends hours each week scouring the web and coming up 102 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:24,919 Speaker 2: with these positive and affirming stories for us here on 103 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:28,680 Speaker 2: the story behind, I myself like to as much as 104 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:31,360 Speaker 2: I can al although I stay familiar with the titles, 105 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:35,160 Speaker 2: not familiarize myself with the story and do many read 106 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:38,360 Speaker 2: drews beforehand. I want to be able to be surprised 107 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:41,640 Speaker 2: by the emotion and the impact just as much as you, 108 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 2: So let's go through this one together. We all love 109 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:49,920 Speaker 2: the healing power of music, so let's dig into this 110 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:55,039 Speaker 2: story by Mikaela GORDONAI teacher and fellow students support young 111 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:59,800 Speaker 2: girl battling cancer with her favorite thing music. When one 112 00:06:59,839 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 2: of her students got diagnosed with a rare disease, a 113 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 2: Virginia music teacher took a big step to support the 114 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 2: young girl with cancer in a very special way. The 115 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,920 Speaker 2: seven year old Klanie Jennings loves music, so her teacher, 116 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 2: Missus Kaiser, and whole school dedicated its spring concert to 117 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:22,320 Speaker 2: her in support of her cancer journey. I knew right 118 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:24,600 Speaker 2: away that I wanted to be able to support her 119 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 2: as her music teacher in whatever capacity that I could, 120 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:33,840 Speaker 2: said the teacher, Dominie Kaiser. Kilani had embryono sarcoma of 121 00:07:33,880 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 2: the liver and a cancerous tumor that weighed twelve pounds 122 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:42,320 Speaker 2: that had to be removed. Dominie and her students made 123 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:45,840 Speaker 2: Kilani care packages and visited her at the hospital in 124 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:50,520 Speaker 2: another city. Dominie's heart was to keep Kilani feeling included. 125 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 2: During the spring concert, the school saying Rise Up as 126 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 2: a tribute to Kilani, who joined virtually and waved a 127 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:03,760 Speaker 2: scarf in time to music. Missus Kaiser's classroom is decorated 128 00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 2: with Taylor Swift fan art. She's one of Kilanie's favorite singers. 129 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 2: Sometimes when the seven year old feels sad, she can 130 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:16,200 Speaker 2: be found singing Taylor's song shake It Off. Kilanie finally 131 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:19,520 Speaker 2: got to finish her last drought of cancer treatment in May, 132 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:22,520 Speaker 2: and her classmates are excited to welcome her back in 133 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:26,240 Speaker 2: the fall. The outpouring of love and support from everyone 134 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 2: has meant so much, said Kilanie's mother, who still tears 135 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 2: up when she watches videos of the spring concert. It's 136 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:36,880 Speaker 2: wonderful that Dominie brought the whole school together support Kilanie 137 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,319 Speaker 2: and make her feel like she isn't alone. Don't we 138 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 2: all need that? A little love sure goes a long way, 139 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:47,839 Speaker 2: As it says in Matthew seven to twelve in the 140 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 2: kjav all things, therefore, whatsoever ye would that men should 141 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 2: do unto you? Even so do ye also unto them, 142 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 2: for this is the law and the prophets. Thanks for 143 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 2: spending this time with us this week. We'll be back 144 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:06,600 Speaker 2: in a couple days with another episode of the Story 145 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:10,079 Speaker 2: Behind It. Until then, we wish you and yours all 146 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:13,600 Speaker 2: the healing and health and wonder in the journey that 147 00:09:13,679 --> 00:09:20,000 Speaker 2: you can find along the way. Amen, have a great day. 148 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening to Story Behind podcast. 149 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: We're really glad you joined us for this week's story. 150 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:35,480 Speaker 1: To see photos and videos that may have been referenced 151 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,360 Speaker 1: in this episode, check out the links and the show notes, 152 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:41,840 Speaker 1: and if you enjoyed what you heard today, subscribe to 153 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:45,439 Speaker 1: our podcast and please tell a friend about us. We'd 154 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:47,480 Speaker 1: also love it if you'd rate us and leave us 155 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:50,439 Speaker 1: a review. It really does help more people find us. 156 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:53,720 Speaker 1: Story Behind is a Salem Web Network production.