Isabelle’s Story

Isabelle was the baby of our family; the ours of the his, mine and ours collection. She was the glue that held us all together and the center of her dad’s and my world. She was a tremendous Daddy’s girl but ran to Mom to take care of everything. She loved to travel. Gatlinburg was her favorite place. She was competitive with her family and friends when playing games  and was not above a little friendly cheating to win. You always knew she was cheating. She would make it very obvious.  She was super proud to be the youngest captain ever of her bowling team. She cheered for their successes but hated for the spotlight to come on her.  She even loved working the concession stand during volleyball games as a fundraiser for bowling. She was the hot dog and cheese stick cook, and you had better stay out of her area. She already had decided to be an X-ray technician which led to her HOSA membership.  Is was so much to so many, but she didn’t even realize it. She was and will always be our Queen Bee.

If I was asked to give 4 characteristics to describe Isabelle before she was diagnosed with AML, they would be quick witted, loyal, cautious, and opinionated.

She had a sense of humor that was wicked! She could fling one liners so easily, and they were always right on the spot. She loved to tell “Dad Jokes”. Her favorite being about being addicted to the Hokey Poke ( but she turned herself around). The funniest part of the joke was watching her try to tell it while totally cracking up. Her smile and laughter would light up the room. She loved to tease and aggravate those around her, especially her Mamaw and Mom. 

 Her circle was small with most of her friends going back to elementary school. If you were in Isabelle’s circle, she had your back.  She might be able to tell you that  you were wrong, but no one else was.  She had your back. Once you were in the circle, you were there for good unless you chose to walk away. She loved her family fiercely. She proudly told you she became an aunt at the age of seven and loved her niece and nephews with all of her heart.  

Isabelle led her life by her own rules. She liked to stand back and watch what was happening before joining. She was that way from very young. When her cousins were playing together, and they started doing something she thought was going to get them in trouble, she would simply walk away. She never told on them(remember the loyal part), but the adults knew that if Isabelle broke from the group, we had better go check.  When she decided to start bowling, we had to go practice for months before she would go to a team practice even though she was invited several times.  She liked to be sure she knew what to expect and what she needed to do. She was a leader; not a follower.

You never had to guess what Isabelle thought about a topic or situation. If she didn’t tell you, her face would.  Most often the two came together. You knew how the conversation was going to go just by the look on her face. 

After she was diagnosed, I would add strong, resilient, and brave to that list.  She fought every day. She tried to help the nursing staff shift her in the bed and worked with the PT and OT while her body was failing her.   

For Is being a redhead was more than the color of her hair, it was a part of who she was. She embraced it with all the jokes and characteristics that come along with it.  Her hair was something everyone commented on. Due to complications, she was sedated during her one and only round of chemo. The entire two weeks, I worried and cried about her losing her hair and what it would do to her. Luckily when the time came to cut her hair, she was awake. Once I explained that we could cut her hair and use it to make a wig for her, she simply said to do it. She never complained or shed a tear.  Through all of her setbacks, she kept trying. Doing things the doctors thought she couldn’t and finding ways to communicate with us while being intubated. 

Bravery isn’t the absence of fear, it is looking it in the face and still moving forward. Isabelle did every day she was in the hospital. She accepted all the treatments, medicine and procedures with grace and kindness to those trying to help her.  She fought until literally her body couldn’t. Then in Isabelle fashion, she made the decision to end her suffering. 

Below is a brief summary of her battle with AML. It was short but fierce. 

I took Isabelle to the Women's and Children's Hospital on the night of February 5, 2023 after being at an emergent care center that morning.  After bloodwork, she was transferred to Norton's Children's Hospital during the early morning of February 6th because her hemoglobin was low. That afternoon, we found out that she had some form of leukemia. After a spinal tap on Tuesday the 7th, she was confirmed with AML. That night she was moved from the cancer unit to the PICU where she would spend all but 4 of the 69 days of treatment.  The next morning, she went into surgery to implant a central line and a dialysis catheter.  When she returned, she was intubated and sedated. She underwent her one and only chemo treatment while sedated. During this time, she also experienced a severe cytostorm ( a severe inflammation in her body) which was diagnosed as Secondary HLH (Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis). She remained sedated for about 2 weeks. 

Once awake, she continued to face setback after setback. She had a blood clot in her right arm, severe complications from the HLH,  heart rate and blood pressure issues, and endless infections.  Due to the swelling with the inflammation, she had to basically grow a new layer of skin.  She had several procedures in the OR. She had visits from OT, PT, Optometry, and basically any specialists in the hospital. She underwent daily xrays and blood transfusions. She was intubated again on March 19th and would remain that way until her passing on April 15th when she chose to remove the breathing tube.  

When she passed, she was leukemia free. The problem was her white blood cell production never returned. With this, she was unable to fight the infections that ravished her body.  No one is for certain what exactly caused her white blood cells production to stop. It could have been the leukemia itself, the chemo, the HLH, or a combination of all three. 

Through all of the trials and tribulations, Isabelle remained strong and fought with all her might. She made friends with the nurses and doctors who were nothing short of amazing.  She made sure she could communicate her needs and wants even through the breathing tube. She tried with all her strength to help move herself around in the bed.  She tried to do everything that was asked of her. Her last act of strength was to make the decision to end her own treatment. She knew when the time had come and understood what removing the breathing tube would mean.  She demanded that it be removed and passed surrounded by her family.

Thank you for your help, 

Lisa Coy (Isabelle's mom)