PORTLAND, Ore. - The game of soccer, much like life, is a game of moments. When to drop the perfectly weighted pass. When to make a break for goal. When to step to defend an attacking movement. When to time your jump to parry away a shot.
But sometimes the most impactful moments happen on a soccer field moments after a game. Thousands of fans have witnessed the Portland Timbers tradition of having players who have scored a goal or earned a shutout earn a slab of log via Timber Joey’s chainsaw and—win, lose, or draw—the players lift them in front of an appreciative Timbers Army in the North End of Providence Park.
Last Saturday’s massive 3-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps continued this tradition. However, on this particular bright shining day, a special guest participated in the proceedings. There were four slabs to lift—one for goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts’ shutout, one for midfielder Diego Valeri’s golazo (which head coach Caleb Porter lifted due to Valeri having to do postgame interviews on NBCSN), and two for forward Fanendo Adi’s brace. Adi took one of them while the other was lifted jointly by defender Pa Modou Kah and young, five-year old Eva Bolls.
Kah had never met Eva before but he, and the Timbers, ended up creating a serendipitous moment that will be remembered by many for a long time.
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The Bolls family—Emily and Ryan and their children Emmet (8) and Eva (5)—have lived in Portland for a number of years. Not shy and full of energy, Eva is busy enjoying her first months of kindergarten in Portland while her soccer-loving brother Emmet has recently started third grade.
But Eva and her family have had some challenging moments earlier this summer.
When Eva began complaining of headaches in mid-June, her parents took her for an MRI which revealed a large brain tumor. Her medical team moved quickly and Eva underwent brain surgery a few days later, after which the tumor was diagnosed as high grade malignant. Despite a successful surgery, this type of tumor is also treated with aggressive radiation and chemotherapy to eliminate any remaining microscopic disease and lessen the chances of recurrence. Eva has completed radiation and will travel with her mom to Stanford University next month where she will undergo chemotherapy.
Though Eva lost her hair following the radiation, she is currently in between treatments and full of youthful get-up-and-go.
“Eva’s a super strong-willed, highly spirited girl,” said her mom Emily. “So that makes it easy for us to keep our spirits up.”
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As the sun drenched Providence Park last week, the Bolls family found themselves sitting in field seats that had been acquired through Ryan’s work. Emmet and Ryan had both been to Timbers games before but it was a first for Emily and Eva. The day was a late-summer scorcher and Emily worried a bit that the heat might be difficult for Eva but with all the goals, the fun result and environment, the whole family had a great time.
Emmet, a feisty soccer player in his own right, was obsessed with trying to get a player’s autograph postgame. Having heard that sometimes Timbers players come to the sidelines during their lap of appreciation following the final whistle, the family stuck around with the hopes of getting a lucky signature.
And then, something unique happened. As the players made their way around the pitch, Timbers center back Pa Modou Kah noticed Eva and the Bolls family near the east sideboards. Emily watched the following moment unfold in awe.
“Kah just sort of kept walking and I realized he just locked eyes with Eva. I mean it was so spontaneous,” she said. “It was so moving the way he just kind of looks at her in this way. He came right up to her and really just threw his arms around her and asked her, ‘Do you want to come on the field?’ and just lifted her over the gate.
“My son is just going crazy and Ryan and I, we just both started crying.”
For Kah, a gregarious defender whose easy-going personality has made him popular with teammates and fans alike, it was a moment that he didn’t expect or plan but one that he embraced as he instantly decided to make a difference in another person’s life.
“On my way to the sideline, I saw her,” he said. “It struck me that she had cancer and it was just a pure spontaneous thing from my side to just pick her up.”
With all the challenges of the summer and treatment, Eva has been, understandably, pretty anxious about separating herself from her family. But in Kah’s arms, she happily went to the North End of the field and helped lift one of the logs. Eva’s brother Emmet was allowed through to the field along with their parents where they spoke with Porter, Kah and some of the players.
“I almost got choked up just even talking to the mom real quick on the field and talking to her daughter,” said Porter later of meeting Eva. “She’s obviously fighting a battle right now.”
Following the log ceremony, Eva and Emmet—sans parents—received a special invitation to join the team in the locker room. Again in Kah’s arms, Eva happily went into the tunnel with the guys while Emily and Ryan waited outside.
“That’s what was so sweet about it. It makes you wonder because you never know what somebody else’s experience with cancer is or what moves them to do this sort of stuff,” said Emily. “But he held her in his arms the whole way down the field and she stood there kind of during the ceremony and then he carried her into the locker room.
He was just very sweet with her and she felt comfortable.”
Porter also noted that the guest was a first for the team as well.
“It was probably the first time we let a girl in the locker room,” he said with a smile. “She was in there, actually, listening to my postgame talk so I edited a few words out. Fortunately, it was a positive game so I didn’t have to edit too much.”
After a little while, the kids emerged from the locker room full of excitement.
“The rest of the day, my son Emmet just kept saying, ‘Did that really happen? Did that really happen?! It was like too good to be true. Eva was super excited too,” said Emily.
“Honestly, our entire family was just kind of on a high the rest of the day.”
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Having had a few days to reflect on the game and the whole encounter, the Bolls family is still glowing. It was something that affected them all in ways both shared and unique. For young Eva, who has been through so much and still learning about soccer, the day was a spark about feeling special.
“She just keeps talking about, ‘I got to go on the field! I got to go on the field!’” said Emily. “I think for her, it was just getting to be out there and in front of the cameras and feeling like she was special.”
For the soccer-mad Emmet, the day also presented an irreplaceable experience that he was able to be a part of. With so much focus having been on his sister’s fight all summer, Emily knows that Emmet supports her but that it brings changes and adjustments for him as well.
“When we were told early on when Eva got her diagnosis and talked with people who had been through cancer, they said that you’d be amazed where you find the silver linings,” explained Emily. “We’ve been finding that all along… I think that Emmet hasn’t gotten to see so many of the silver linings and so for him to see that, you know what? Cool stuff can happen.”
For Emily though, the day will long be remembered for Kah’s simple act of reaching out.
“It was the moment that I saw him coming for her and realizing that he saw her and that he saw what she was going through and it moved him to do something for her. It was really special,” she said.
September is also Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and even with all of changes Eva and her family are going through, her mother Emily feels strongly that sharing their story will help raise more awareness around the challenges that children and families face and the ongoing push to overcome them.
In Emily’s eyes, Kah and the Timbers’ spontaneous moment was something that was not only timely but also carried a large impact in that ongoing fight.
“People are constantly asking, ‘What can we do?’” said Emily. “Kah saw something that he could do to bring her some smiles and he did it. He obviously thought fast about it and that was great.”
Kah, who exchanged contact information with the family and wishes to stay in touch, remained humble about the moment he shared with Eva and her family.
“She had the log after a nice victory that we had and the sun was shining and she seems like a happy girl,” he said. “It was just something spontaneous from my side and it’s also nice to do something for the fans as well.”
