![Adventure of a lifetime](https://cdn.magzter.com/1394809325/1677081777/articles/TNcmKJ0UJ1677155787852/Duncan-Falls-Ohio-Grandma-Joy-Blue-Rock-State-Park.jpg)
Avoiding people in a small town requires the skills of a spy. So Brad Ryan moved like a ghost, taking precautions to stay far away from the woman who had broken his heart. He had not seen or spoken to Grandma Joy in six years.
Brad, 27, had returned to Duncan Falls, Ohio, where he was born and raised, only because he wanted to enroll at Ohio State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.
Already paying off student loans, Brad needed to save money and take a series of upper-level chemistry and physics classes at a local college before applying to vet school. He lived with his mother in his childhood home, and worked nights as a waiter in a local restaurant.
He was halfway through his evening shift when he felt his cell phone vibrate. It was his mother. His younger sister had announced her engagement and a wedding date had been set for a Duncan Falls church.
Brad's heart sank. He loved his sister, but there was no way he'd attend the wedding. Grandma Joy would be there.
Despite Joy Ryan's first name, there wasn't much joy in her life. She grew up in a home with no electricity, running water, or plumbing. She attended a one-room schoolhouse. Engaged at 16 and married at 18, she had her first child-Brad's father-at 21. Two more boys followed, both of whom met tragic ends. Her youngest son died of a drug overdose. The second passed from brain cancer.
She was a housewife, sold Avon products to women in town and babysat for other mothers. When the kids moved out of the house, she took a job behind the deli counter in a grocery store.
This story is from the March - April 2023 edition of Reader's Digest US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March - April 2023 edition of Reader's Digest US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![A Race Well-Limped](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5844/1745970/T8RkK9Gcn1719481474947/A-RACE-WELLLIMPED.jpg)
A Race Well-Limped
A reluctant runner's key to keeping high spirits? Low expectations.
![Won't You Be Our Neighbor?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5844/1745970/Zp_mismZm1719481373319/WONT-YOU-BE-OUR-NEIGHBOR.jpg)
Won't You Be Our Neighbor?
These folks do Mr. Rogers proud
![Band of Survivors](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5844/1745970/CD7TzLLde1719481263209/BAND-OF-SURVIVORS.jpg)
Band of Survivors
Armed with his drum kit, a Holocaust survivor fights antisemitism one musical note at a time
![UMM...WHERE'S MY POOL?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5844/1745970/LGmq8Eqx81719481055853/UMMWHERES-MY-POOL.jpg)
UMM...WHERE'S MY POOL?
All I wanted was some summer fun. What I got instead was a harsh lesson in the rip-off potential of payment apps.
![Let's Say Yes!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5844/1745970/r-yiRvYBH1719480896594/LETS-SAY-YES.jpg)
Let's Say Yes!
What started out as a way to get my son to try new foods opened up a world of adventure for my family
![A GRIZZLY ENCOUNTER](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5844/1745970/Aiixqbbdx1719480764804/A-GRIZZLY-ENCOUNTER.jpg)
A GRIZZLY ENCOUNTER
The bear had its jaws clamped on his friend. There was only one thing to do: tackle.
![13 THINGS Go for Gold at the Olympics](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5844/1745970/qihTUTMYi1719480641800/13-THINGS-GO-FOR-GOLD-AT-THE-OLYMPICS.jpg)
13 THINGS Go for Gold at the Olympics
THE 2024 Summer Olympic Games kick off July 26 in the host city of Paris, though several of the 41 event venues are located elsewhere in France.
![STOP THE RIDE!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5844/1745970/JLf-NrtYo1719480429765/STOP-THE-RIDE.jpg)
STOP THE RIDE!
AMUSEMENT PARKS ARE MEANT TO THRILL. BUT OFTEN THEY JUST MAKE US SICK. ONE INTREPID RIDER IS ON A QUEST TO FIND OUT WHY SHE'S ALWAYS LOSING HER LUNCH.
![Raise A GLASS!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5844/1745970/QvYvrto0W1719480281536/RAISE-A-GLASS.jpg)
Raise A GLASS!
FAVORITE DRINKS FROM EVERY STATE
![A Race Well-Limped](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5844/1744761/3nMZ8kyw91719393367071/A-RACE-WELLLIMPED.jpg)
A Race Well-Limped
A reluctant runner's key to keeping high spirits? Low expectations.