Yesterday, the boy we have referred to online first as “crazy man,” then as “funny man,” turned 18. Isaiah will always be both of those things to us, but he is also now officially a man.

I’ve written about our early struggles with Isaiah in the past and the change in diet that gave us a new son. It was after some of those early hard times that I began telling him, “You’re going to be an amazing adult.” He was concerned that he might never get what appeared to be ODD behaviors under control. But he did.

And I’m here today to tell you that I was right. He is an amazing adult who I love more than I can express. In the photo above, Isaiah is staring out over the shipyard in Valparaiso, Chile a few days before his birthday. He told me later in the evening that the reality of the impending 18th birthday had finally hit him. I imagine he was contemplating that as I snapped the photo.

We have thousands of unlisted family photos online that have never been shared publicly. The video above is one of them and one of my favorites. The personality in that video is alive and well in Isaiah. I got to see it even today in Hornopiren, Chile. He is funny in ways I’ll never be and not afraid to be himself.

Happy Birthday, Isaiah. You are an amazing adult.

Jeff Turner

See Full Bio