The Ellis-Keith family
of Medford, Oregon
Stevie: Life before diabetes
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I started taekwondo when I was 6. This picture was taken when I was 7.
This is me receiving an award at the taekwondo Christmas party one month after I turned 8.
As you can see, taekwondo wasn't all about hard work and self-discipline.
This is me demonstrating a kick at a fund-raiser for a boy who needed an operation. I didn't know at the time that the black belt with me would some day be my stepbrother.
These pictures were taken 17 days before my father died. They are the last pictures of my father before he died.
This is me posing for Roy, who was the karate school's photographer and father of three of the black belt instructors. That belt I'm wearing is the Student of the Month Belt. Roy took thousands of pictures and videos each year of events and tournaments for the parents who couldn't attend.
This is me with Roy and his daughter, Rebekah (one of my instructors) at the Pacific Jewel Nationals. Nobody knew my father would die 5 days after these pictures were taken. Roy always made t-shirts out of the best pictures so I asked my father if we could have one made of the picture of Roy and me and he said Yes. Funny thing is, nobody knows who took the picture.
After my father died, Roy and his kids helped us a lot. This is Roy, me and my mom camping with Roy's family.


That's me holding one of Roy's granddaughters.
This is me with two of Roy's daughters, Rebekah and Miriam, my taekwondo instructors. Two months later they went to the world championships in martial arts and became the #7 and #5 ranked fighters in the world.
This is me at the annual taekwondo halloween sleepover, just before my 9th birthday.
This is me sparring at the USA Nationals.
This is me, my mom, and Roy at the Oregon coast.
This is me and Roy at Railroad Park.
On Memorial Day 2004 we were going camping so Roy setup the tent in our living room to make sure all the poles were there. Then he got hurt and had to sleep in it for a week because he couldn't walk.
We went to Six Flags the following month. This is my mom, Roy, my friend Christian, and me all crammed onto Roy's wheelchair.
This is me at a taekwondo demonstration at the county fair in July.
Rebekah and Miriam aren't just 2nd degree black belts. This is the night they went to the homecoming dance.
This is Roy, me, and my mom at my school on Halloween.
This is me, Miriam, my mom, and Rebekah, trick or treating at the mall.
This is Rebekah and me at my 10th birthday party at the roller skating rink.
We're all Christians by faith but Roy is part jewish so we celebrate both sets of holidays. This is my mom, Joseph, Miriam, Rebekah, and me, at Hanukkah.
In January, Roy took me on a special date at one of my favorite restaurants.
Roy always gave his daughters flowers on special events like their 16th birthday so he gave me flowers too on Valentine's Day.
Mom and Roy almost always went on school field trips with us.
Roy's kids were all in 4-H so this is me at the Fair.
On the 4th of July Roy won a drawing for a huge amount of fireworks, all he could carry to the counter in 3 minutes. He couldn't do it because of his cane so I got to do it for him.
I LOVE swimming and we go to the public pool all the time. This was taken 5 days before I found out I was diabetic.