From Stage 4 Cancer to Winner's Circle Kyle Callaway Beats The Odds

PRCA member Kyle Callaway beats all odds and continues his rodeo career after a life-threatening brain tumor and stage 4 cancer nearly ended his rodeo lifestyle.

When the arena lights shut off for the last time June 2 in Window Rock, Arizona, there were no more horses to buck or cattle to run, Kyle Callaway secured his position at the top of the leaderboard in the steer wrestling with his 4.5 second run. Rodeo wins are a little different for Kyle these days, because throughout most of 2022 steer wrestling and rodeo were the last things on his mind. (Full Window Rock Results here)

Callaway calls Billings, Mont. home with his wife, Anna, and their three kids, Elsie, 10, Cleah, 5, and Huckleberry, 3. Rodeo is a family affair for the Callaway family and their biggest past time aside from owning and operating, Callaways Blue Creek Feeders, their family business south of Billings.

"My wife and I have always rodeoed, it's just part of what we do," Kyle explains the monumental role rodeo plays in their lives. Kyle has a long list of accomplishments including eight Mountain States, eight Montana Circuit Finals Qualifications and won the Mountain States Circuit along with qualifying for the Dodge National Circuit Finals in 2007. He has been a PRCA member since 2004 and competes in both the Steer Wrestling and the Team Roping.

Kyle, his wife Anna, their daughters Elsie, Cleah, and their son Huckleberry /

In February of 2022, "It all came to a pretty fast stop. I was just finishing lunch at the house and going to ride some young horses and had a grand mal seizure. I had never had anything of the sort before and thought myself pretty durable. Other than some broken bones and a few surgeries, I never really needed to see a doctor. That all changed when I came to about a day and a half later inside an MRI machine."

Callaway explains how he woke in an MRI machine unsure what had caused him a trip to the hospital and with no idea about the news he was about to receive. "When I settled down they had me in a room meeting a neurosurgeon because they had found a softball sized tumor behind my right eye, and surgery was going to be needed to remove it"

Tumor behind Callaways right eye /

After Kyles wife did some extensive research, the Callaways, along with Kyles parents, found themselves headed south to Arizona where there were doctors more familiar with Kyle's condition.

"We loaded our kids and five horses up and headed to Arizona only knowing that we were going be there for however long it took to get this surgery and head home."

The community stepped up to run the feedlot for the family while they were in Arizona.

"The surgery went really well, and we thought we were done when I woke up and my whole body still worked properly. Then came the oncologist with the news we didn’t want, grade 3 possibly 4 glioblastomata, which is brain cancer he said. So, I’m thinking, well at least it isn’t any higher, but my wife knew and informed me it was serious. Rodeoing became completely the last thing on our mind then and I was pretty certain that I wasn’t going to be running anymore steers."

Thats where the rodeo community did what it does and came together strong for the Callaway family. "We were a little scared, but I knew I had to fight like hell and not let this get me." Kyle began the fight with the help of family friends, Dean and Jamie McIntyre who guided Kyle to a clinic in Mexico, known as a "Cancer Curing Doctor". After spending a few weeks in Mexico, Kyle returned to Montana with two big suitcases full of IV's to continue the procedures at home.

Kyle continued to do radiation and chemo in Montana. Through the painful treatments and weight loss you still cannot keep a cowboy off their horse no matter what the doctor's orders might be and in the summer of 2022 Kyle, "went to one rodeo strictly out of spite of one doctor that told me I couldn’t do it. I was miserable and on the backside of a heavy chemo dose but I threw my steers down and placed in a round but told my wife to not let me do it again until I was healthy." The remainder of the summer, Kyle spent close to home with his family and friends, besides the occasional trips back to Mexico, trying to regain his health and strength.

In spring 2023, a healthier version of Kyle and Henry Hollenbeck started talking about the rodeo trail and possibly hitting a "few" rodeos. That lead to both Kyle and his traveling partner Henry to the top 12 and another Montana Circuit Finals Qualification.

With every undesirable situation we encounter a silver linning can be found. The Callaways found a love for Arizona during their time spent there battling cancer, so much that they bought a little place outside of Congress, AZ. Kyle has claimed the Turquoise Circuit this year with goals to make their circuit finals. Currently, with continuous doctors visits in both countries, Kyle is in 100% remission and feeling great.

"I needed to win some money to be competitive in the circuit standings. I had my good old horse Short Bus (Kirks Leo Deck) 22, with me and drew a good steer and used him. That was the first time I had ever been to Window Rock and it’s a cool rodeo and I’m stoked to of won it."

Kyle explains that rodeo is a bit different now for him, "My rodeo goals any more have changed a lot as I keep my plate pretty full in Montana and my kids are getting older and so it’s turning more to kid’s horses and helping them, but I do want to make the circuit finals and give myself a chance to win the circuit. I’ll still rodeo in Montana as well, but I won’t go to a lot. More than anything I’m just grateful to get to do it still and be competitive."

Callaway is currently sitting third in the Turquoise Circuit Steer Wrestling Standings with $4,421.99 won so far. Kyle also sits second in the All Around Strandings with $5,181.81 behind Erich Rodgers with $6,168.89. Kyle fought hard for his second chance in life and in the arena, and he has the full force of the rodeo community and his family backing him this season.