How Cody Kessler fought through two family crises before and after Patriots game

[D Bone]

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2016/10/how_cody_kessler_fought_throug.html

BEREA, Ohio -- Cody Kessler was in team meetings last Wednesday preparing for the Browns' showdown against Tom Brady and the Patriots when a staff member came and grabbed him.

"He said, 'You need to call your dad now,''' Kessler told cleveland.com.

Kessler's parents, Christie and Donnie, had never called Kessler out of a meeting before, not even when he was at USC, so he knew it was serious.

"My dad told me it was my brother Dylan, and that something was wrong with his heart,'' said Kessler. "They were rushing him to a hospital two hours away.''

Kessler has always been extremely close to his kid brother, who at 17 is six years his junior. The Kesslers had lost three babies in between, but their sons were as close as if they were a year apart.

Cody Kessler, who will start Sunday's game in Tennessee, always let Dylan tag along at USC, once refusing to attend his postgame press conference if Dylan wasn't allowed in. A senior nose guard and defensive tackle for Centennial High in Bakersfield, Calif., Dylan has looked up to Cody as a best friend and role model.

So the news that Dylan's heart had raced out of control rocked Kessler's world, right in the middle of preparing for Bill Belichick's brilliant defense.

"I went into panic mode a little,'' said Kessler. "I was in shock because he's so young and had never had a problem with his heart. I started thinking about his future and hoping this wasn't going to carry on.''

Dylan, who had returned to the field just recently after a hip injury, was home from practice when his heart began to race. His father took him to the doctor. After a battery of tests, they sent him to Valley Children's Hospital two hours north of Bakersfield.

"Donnie called me from the doctor's office and I could hear Dylan crying in the background,'' Christie said. "Donnie was upset too, and he said 'they want him to go now. We need to take him to Valley Children's.' When they're sending you there, you know they're worried.''

Donnie called Cody shortly thereafter to fill him in, and Cody called Dylan several times while the Kesslers were driving to the hospital.

"Cody was really worried and Dylan kept reassuring Cody, 'I'm okay, I just have to figure out what's going on,''' Christie recalled.

As usual, Cody was also a calming influence on Dylan.

"The first two days in the hospital he was scared to death,'' said Cody. "He didn't know what was going to happen, and he was freaking out. They said he could be in three days to five weeks. But they gave him some medicine and they tried some stuff, and he started to get better.''

Things got tense at times, more than Cody realized. Doctors struggled to get Dylan's heart rate down and his blood pressure was high.

"They think it was from an older virus that attacked his heart,'' said Christie. "He had a left ventricle that wasn't pumping blood correctly and they put him on some medication and they monitored him, and he continued to get better.''

While in the hospital, one of Dylan's 15 or so doctors was from USC and recognized his last name. Another, his cardiologist, lightened the mood.

"He said, 'I hear your brother plays for the Browns,''' recalled Christie. "Dylan said, 'yeah,' and the doctor said, 'I'm a Steelers fan.' Then he said, 'my son's name is Brady after Tom Brady because I went to Michigan.'''

Meanwhile, Cody was back in Cleveland trying to keep his mind on the gameplan and preparing to start his third career game against arguably the greatest coach and quarterback of all time.

"It was tough,'' Kessler said. "Obviously I wanted to be there for Dylan, but he was pumped for me and wanted me to hang out here. I told the guys in the quarterback room, and obviously coach (Hue) Jackson and Pep (Hamilton) and they were all very supportive. Even though I couldn't be with my family at home, it's been like a family for me here.''

Once Dylan knew he was out of danger, the hardest part was being told his senior football season was over.

"I told him, 'right now, football should take a back seat,''' said Cody. "The fact that your heart is going to be okay, that's the most important thing.''

A 6-1, 265-pound defender, Dylan has had some Division II and III schools looking at him and hopes to follow in his brother's college footsteps.

"He's a great player, but we have to see,'' said Cody. "We're hopeful. Obviously he wants to play. He's played his whole life. He loves it. But right now they said for two months he can do absolutely nothing. He can walk to class and where he needs to go, and then he has to rest.''

By Friday, doctors put Dylan on a monitor and let him go home to attend the Centennial High Homecoming game.

"That really cheered him up,'' said Christie.

Knowing Dylan was stable, Christie convinced Donnie to fly to Cleveland to watch Cody start against the Patriots.

"I've never missed one of Cody's games,'' said Christie. "But I wasn't about to leave Dylan. When I called Cody to tell him Donnie was coming, he said 'mom are you sure? Dad needs to be there with Dylan too.'''

How Kessler was groomed for this role from the start

At the same time, "Dylan was telling both of us, 'I'm fine. You need to go to Cody's game,''' Christie said. "They always have each other's back.''

As Donnie was about to board the plane for Cleveland, he got a call from his brother that their grandmother, June Laramore, was in critical condition in the hospital. June, 92, had mostly raised Donnie and was more like a mother to him than a grandmother.

She was also extremely close to Cody, who referred to her as his "second mom.'' She went to every USC game, and Cody would greet her in her wheelchair the moment he got off the bus. Grandma Laramore had always been one of the most important people in his life.

Cody had talked to her on Monday, and she assured him she was fine. On Thursday, when she was admitted to the hospital, Cody was worried, but "she's always been tough, so I figured she was coming right back out.''

Donnie had to make a decision. Either go to the game, or stay at June's bedside.

"His brother called and said 'if you do not get on that plane and go watch Cody play, grandma would be so mad at you,''' Christie said. "He said, 'there's nothing you can do.'''

If June died, the Kesslers wanted someone there by Cody's side.

"They had a bond like no other,'' Christie said.

By the time Donnie landed in Cleveland on Saturday evening, he received word that June had passed. But they decided not to tell Cody until after the game.

"Dylan kept saying, 'I'm really worried about how Cody's going to take it,''' said Christie.

Late in the first quarter, after answering Brady's opening touchdown drive with one of his own, Kessler attempted an ill-fated screen pass and was planted to the turf by Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower. Kessler rolled over and remained face down for a few moments. He felt a searing pain in his chest area, and thought he had seriously injured his left shoulder.

Meanwhile, back in Bakersfield where family and friends gathered to watch the game, Dylan began to pace. He wasn't used to seeing his brother leave the field.

When X-rays were negative, Kessler begged team doctors to let him go back in the game. Despite the pain and being short of breath, he came back out to the sidelines in the second quarter and tried to throw. When they told him he was out of the game, he was frustrated.

"I was thinking 'my little brother's over there fighting this heart thing and he has all this stuff going on and I've got to go back in,'' said Kessler. "I was really upset I couldn't go back in.''

After the 33-13 loss, Cody told Dylan, "'I promise I'm tough. You know I'm tough. But they wouldn't let me, man.' And he was like 'don't worry. I was just want to make sure you're okay.' Dylan was definitely my inspiration during that game.''

But Kessler's rib and chest injuries were the least painful thing to happen that day. When the dust settled, Donnie delivered the news of Cody's great grandmother.

"It was the biggest shock, because she's tough as nails, never complained,'' said Kessler. "She'd go in the hospital here and there and you'd call her and she'd say 'I'm trying to get out of here, but they won't let me leave. I'll be out in no time.' I got so used to her being okay.''

Dylan and Cody Kessler with June Laramore

Cody Kessler (right) had a tight bond with his great grandmother June Laramore, who died the night before the Patriots game.

Kessler family photo

The loss of June hit him 10 times harder than Hightower did.

"She was like another mom to me,'' he said. "She helped raise me when I was a kid and we even lived with her for a little while. I was very proud of her. She was the coolest grandma. She was everybody's grandma. All of my friends called her Grandma Laramore. She was at everything. She could be in a ton of pain and you'd never know it.''

For years, June asked Cody to come meet her friends during their bridge game at a country club in Bakersfield, but he was busy at USC. Finally, a little over a year ago, he obliged.

"I remember driving up there wondering what I was doing and just reminding myself 'this is for grandma, this is for grandma,''' he said. "I ended up sitting there with her and her friends for 2 1/2 hours. I heard all kinds of stories about my grandma and it was a cool feeling for me.''

Donnie stayed in town until Tuesday, and father and son helped each other cope. Kessler's girlfriend, Valeriya Kuklishyna, also helped him get through the week.

Kessler may or may not be able to make it to June's memorial service on Tuesday, but they'll celebrate her life back in Bakersfield when the Browns' season is over. Meanwhile, Kessler will dedicate this Titans game to Grandma Laramore, just as he dedicated the Patriots game to Dylan.

"Last week put everything in perspective for me,'' he said. "It made me appreciate what I get to do that much more, because you never know what can happen. And you never know when the important people in your life, even the ones that are gone, are watching.''

[Orion]

Everyone's got their crosses to bare.

 

...hope he gets a win Sunday, in honor of his grandma.

[Flugel]

Wow! That was a tough week for Kessler punctuated by injury. The old saying is "Tough times don't last - tough people do..."

[DieHardBrownsFan]

I feel almost like crying, almost.

[Orion]

Everyone's got their crosses to bare.

 

I didn't realize how true that is.....until this morning when I had to have the police break the door to my brother's apartment to find him dead on the floor.

Another very sad day....that we get in life.

GodSpeed to my brother.

[D Bone]

 

I didn't realize how true that is.....until this morning when I had to have the police break the door to my brother's apartment to find him dead on the floor.

Another very sad day....that we get in life.

GodSpeed to my brother.

 

How awful........ So sorry for your loss.

[Orion]

 

How awful........ So sorry for your loss.

Thank you.

My brother has not been well. I sort of expected this day to come.....just didn't know when. Still, quite sad and difficult.

[Furious Styles]

 

I didn't realize how true that is.....until this morning when I had to have the police break the door to my brother's apartment to find him dead on the floor.

Another very sad day....that we get in life.

GodSpeed to my brother.

Hang in there man ! Help keep everyone hold it together.

[TexasAg1969]

Hang in there man ! Help keep everyone hold it together.

 

Ditto Orion-tough to lose someone that close to you. Ain't no shame in a good cry over something like that. May your best memories of shared lives slowly replace the sadness.

[Zombo]

 

I didn't realize how true that is.....until this morning when I had to have the police break the door to my brother's apartment to find him dead on the floor.

Another very sad day....that we get in life.

GodSpeed to my brother.

 

Sorry to hear that, Orion.

 

Hope the Browns give you a little moment of relief today.

 

Zombo

[Flugel]

 

I didn't realize how true that is.....until this morning when I had to have the police break the door to my brother's apartment to find him dead on the floor.

Another very sad day....that we get in life.

GodSpeed to my brother.

 

Sorry for your loss Orion!

[Tour2ma]

I didn't realize how true that is.....until this morning when I had to have the police break the door to my brother's apartment to find him dead on the floor.

Another very sad day....that we get in life.

GodSpeed to my brother.

 

Absolutely awful news... My sincere condolences to you and the rest of your families...

[gumby73]

So sorry O, you got more brothers than you ever knew but you knew him the best. Lost mine to a senseless War. Stay strong, your family will really need you & your brother will always shine from you. #unansweredpreys

[domcucch1994]

I love this kid! He has real fight in his heart and It's a shame this team is shitty because he deserves some wins!

[Orion]

Thank you everyone for the support. My kid brother was a Rams fan...but he always wanted to see my Browns be winners for me.

- I guess I'll always have a spot in my heart somewhere for the Rams -

 

--------------

 

Kessler is as quick to avoid the D as cold molasses. But ya know what, he does a good job! The losses have not been his fault that's for sue. Heck, if Ricardo Louis could catch Cody might've been the winning QB. (I know Louis had 5 catches...but he cost us a drive with a ball thrown right in his gut and right in stride...and he dropped another on the sidelines)

[Canton Mike]

 

I didn't realize how true that is.....until this morning when I had to have the police break the door to my brother's apartment to find him dead on the floor.

Another very sad day....that we get in life.

GodSpeed to my brother.

 

I'm sorry for your loss of your Brother. I can't imagine what you are going through.

You & your family are in my Prayers. May your Brother RIP.

 

Mike