Johnathan Spencer Joplin
November 4, 1997-March 30, 1998
Written by: Janet Kerr
(Keith and Janet Kerr are Christina's parents. They currently live in Amarillo, TX.)
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March 1997 through March 1998 has been a year of many emotions, many extremes: delight, anticipation, concern, anxiety, relief, joy, happiness, regret, worry, expectation, sorrow. In our many conversations with our pastor Mike he quoted two phrases that have seemed so appropriate.
1. Our ways are not God's ways.
2. Life is what happens while you're making other plans.
In March Keith and I met Tina and Scott for an overnight visit to take a Chevy Suburban to Tina for her work. With all the space available in the vehicle, what could we take of hers that she could use? A good time to take her old baby bed and the boy's bunk beds. What a wise choice because she did not yet know that she was expecting a baby in November!
How wonderful, now for the anticipation and plans. Time to start thinking of a nursery, decorating, sewing, getting ready. They say it's a boy coming! Now for them to decide on a name. Tina has long had an idea of what she wanted for a girl's name, but now to determine the boy's name. Johnathan Spencer Joplin. Now we can refer to the baby-to-be as Johnathan.
Keith made plans to fly out to SC in October so he could take over the driving for Tina during her last month. She has helpers for her pony jobs, but it would be nice not to have to get behind that steering wheel. As usual, I never have enough vacation time, so Keith was to fly back in early December, after the baby is a week or two old, and we would then drive to SC. Just before Christmas the 5 of us could then drive to San Antonio to spend Christmas with John and Diana and family. Gramma King would fly from Albuquerque to San Antonio to spend Christmas with us and spend some time with her new great-grandson.
Late summer brought some question and a little concern. The sonogram showed a density in the heart area. Could be a problem, may not be. After a second sonogram a few weeks later again showed the density it was time to visit with a pediatric cardiologist associated with Carolina's Medical Hospital in Charlotte. It was finally decided that there was a problem with the left side of Johnathan's heart. Possibly a condition called HLHS, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. If this was the problem it meant the left side of the heart had not fully developed and could not pump oxygenated blood into the body. About 10 years ago a series of three surgeries had been developed to reroute blood vessels to allow the right side of the heart to do the pumping for both sides. If it was determined, after Johnathan was born, that he did have HLHS he would have to have the first surgery within a few days. A second surgery would need to be done between the 4th and 8th month of age and the third surgery about 2 years of age. Since this series of surgeries is only 10 years old, it is not known what advances in medicine will provide whatever may need to be done in the future.
It would be necessary for Tina to be SURE to get to Carolina Medical for the delivery as ultimate baby care could be provided there. Carolina Medical is approximately 2 hours away from Ruby, SC. It was determined that the amniotic fluid around Johnathan was decreasing and it might be necessary for him to be born early, but he needed to wait as long as possible. Every ounce gained would be to his benefit.
By now I had decided I must be there too, just needed to decide when to go. Keith was to fly out Oct. 28th and I would leave as soon as there was some indication that birth was imminent. Son John did not want mom to drive out alone. Not that I couldn't make the trip alone, and have friends to stay with along the way, but that if the car should have a major problem, I'm not noted for knowing much about the car. Keith left on Tues. the 28th. When he arrived in Charlotte we learned that at Tina's doctor visit that day the doctor determined that the amniotic fluid was very low. She was to go home and spend a week mostly in bed and to return the next Tuesday bag packed, just in case it was time for baby to be born. Keith was thrown head first into Tina's pony business, having to drive the helpers to jobs scheduled every day that week. It was time for mom to hit the road. I drove to San Antonio on Saturday, John and I left on Sunday for SC, arriving around 1:00 AM on Tuesday morning. Keith and Tina left early for the clinic at the hospital. Later that morning she called to say all the amniotic fluid was gone and there would be an emergency C-section in about 2 hours! Scott left going one direction and John and I left to go on a road we felt we could find our way to the hospital. Scott arrived first and was suited out in operating room gear, John and I got there before Tina was wheeled into the operating room.

Keith, John, Janet and Scott
It wasn't long before Johnathan was born and all were pleased that he was 7lb, 2oz.

Tina meets son Johnathan for the first time
Scott's minister was there, as was his dad. Mike had located a minister of our denomination in Charlotte by way of the internet, and he was there too. Johnathan was healthy and doing fine, Tina was fine. Everything looked pretty good. We were so relieved and happy.

The cardiologist and pediatric heart surgeon checked a sonogram of Johnathan's heart and reported to Tina and Scott what they felt needed to be done. It was indeed HLHS and Johnathan would need surgery soon. They were very cooperative as to whether Tina and Scott wanted to have Johnathan taken to Ann Arbor, MI, the home of these surgeries, or to keep him in Charlotte with the surgeon there. Charlotte does not have so many babies with complicated heart surgeries as does Ann Arbor where babies are flown in from all over the world, so Charlotte seemed the better place to be. After all my experience in the medical field, I can say that Charlotte is the best medical hospital I have ever seen. They are really great people there and do everything possible to tend to the needs of the patients.

Carolinas Medical Center

Tina and Johnathan with the heart surgeon, Dr. Larry Watts
Johnathan was born on November 4, 1997. On Monday, November 10th he had heart surgery. He came through the surgery fine, but he was in drug induced coma for the next few days as swelling went down and he could move without tearing out any stitches or harming himself with his movements.

He was slowly brought out of his coma and returned to Neonatal Intensive Care from Cardiac ICU. As soon as he was able to eat, he would be able to go home.

Keith and I were staying in Ruby at night. Each morning we would feed the animals and start up to the Charlotte hospital, running errands at different stores on the way up. We tried to always be at the hospital before the 4:00PM grandparents visit and would usually stay until after the grandparents 8:00PM visit. We might stop to eat on the way up, or wait and go somewhere in or near the hospital. One day we were very late and I began to get into trouble since I am considered borderline diabetic and cannot go for extended periods of time without eating. Especially if I am burning a lot of energy with animal care or running into stores. We were looking for someplace to eat and just as we passed a nice looking restaurant, decided it looked interesting to try. We found it difficult to get back to the driveway, since we were on a boulevard and there seemed to be a lack of back streets. We went on to a familiar chain restaurant, vowing to try the new restaurant at another time. The restaurant we went to was terrible, rating a D- in any area it could be judged in. Later that evening, tired and weary, we decided to stop at the nice restaurant on the way home.
It was a very nice place, Greek. We were met by a very nice gentleman with old-world manners and a Greek accent. He put my arm in his and led us to a table, he pulled out the chair and helped push it back into place, he removed the folded linen napkin and, after unfolding it, placed it in my lap. It was SO nice to be pampered and to relax a bit. The waitress was very nice and easy to visit with, so we told her of our daily trips from SC to the Charlotte hospital. During our meal the gentleman returned to check on us. As he did so, the waitress returned to our table and asked if we were on our way up to the hospital. The gentleman wanted to know why we were going to the hospital and we told him about Johnathan. He said he would pray for Johnathan. We thanked him, as we felt we could use any and all prayers! As we left, the gentleman took my hand in his and said, "I will pray for Johnathan. I will pray that the doctors will be able to do for Johnathan what pleases his parents and what pleases you, his grandparents, and I will pray that God grant you the years to dance at his wedding." We were so moved at his words, and his accent and bearing made his words even more wonderful. We talked about him as we drove to SC. Keith said he thought the gentleman was a priest, he heard someone call him Father. I said that we had learned that the restaurant was owned by his son, and possibly it was his son who called him father. We thought we would take Tina and Scott there as soon as Johnathan was well enough that they could leave the hospital for a little while, and after Tina was released from the hospital herself.
Johnathan continued to do better and finally began to nurse. He had to prove to the doctors he knew how to nurse and could begin to gain some weight before he could be released. So one evening we did take Tina and Scott to the restaurant. The gentleman spent a lot of time visiting with us this time. We learned that he is, indeed, a retired Greek Orthodox priest, Father Theodore. When he told us Johnathan would be fine, that he is in the hands of the Great Physician, and he looks up, he is not looking at the ceiling, but into the eyes of God. One of the strongest personalities I have ever met. He makes you feel so good and strengthens your religious feelings. Such a powerful person. We were all so moved by the things he said and the way he says things. While we were visiting with him he was called away to the phone. When he returned he said that it was the priest from the church where he attends. The Sunday before they had dedicated their service to Johnathan and the priest had called to ask if Father Theodore had heard any news concerning the baby they had been praying for. When we left we said we would bring Johnathan to see him.
Soon Johnathan was able to come home! He was such a good baby and we seemed to fight for the right to hold him.




Great aunt Betty

Great aunt Sheila

Scott's dad, Leverne Joplin

He loved to be walked around the house to look at everything. He especially loved the sunlight filtered through the cream colored drapes. We were finally able to take him back up to Charlotte to meet Father Theodore and get a picture of the two of them together.

Father Theodore
Thanksgiving and Christmas flew by and too soon it was time for gramma and grandpa to return to Texas. We left on January 2.
Soon it was time to start checking Johnathan and preparing for a date for the second heart surgery. Johnathan's heart was enlarging and a valve was leaking, so it was necessary to schedule his surgery around the earlier 4 months rather than wait until later. It was decided to schedule the surgery for March 30th, just before he would be five months old on April 4th.
Our friends, Joan and Jerry Fullerton, had planned a March trip to Florida, with a stop in Charlotte to visit a niece and her husband, and Tina, Scott and Johnathan. They were to meet Tina, Scott and Johnathan for lunch on Monday, a week before Johnathan's surgery. Joan and Jerry found themselves free for dinner on Saturday night and decided to locate the restaurant and have dinner there. They immediately recognized Father Theodore and introduced themselves. They had a lovely visit with him and told him they were meeting Tina, Scott and Johnathan for lunch on Monday. Father Theodore is not always at the restaurant at lunch time, but he said he would be there on Monday, which he was and blessed Johnathan.
We arrived in Ruby the following Friday evening. Johnathan had been to the hospital for preliminary tests for the Monday surgery and was in a restless troubled state over the weekend. Tina and Scott said it seemed to take him a few days to get over an extensive medical exam. Especially if there is a sonogram, and they had problems drawing blood which upset him quite a bit. On Sunday evening the five of us went to Charlotte. We had rented rooms for a week near the hospital. Johnathan was expected to be in the hospital for a week to ten days. Rather than drive back and forth every day Tina had arranged for a friend to tend to the animals for two or three days, then Keith and I would take turns with Scott alternating trips to Ruby to feed and water the animals later in the week.
We were up at 4:00AM to prepare to take Johnathan to the hospital by 5:00AM. He was checked in and prepared but it was almost 8:00 before they came to take him to surgery. It was quite difficult to let them take him away because we all had a vivid picture of what it was like when he had his first heart surgery. We went down to the waiting area where the people there seemed like old friends. They remembered us and we renewed relationships with them. We waited. When Johnathan was in the hospital in November there was another baby, Dimitri, who has the same heart problem and had had the first surgery a few days before Johnathan did. We met Dimitri and his mother, Irene, shortly before he got to go home. She and Tina have kept up an E-mail visitation since. While we waited, she came to stay with us for awhile. She would have liked to stay on with us, but needed to get home to care for Dimitri. We waited.
Eventually we were moved to a private waiting room where we could receive updates on Johnathan in private. A nurse came down to tell us that Johnathan was having some problems and was critical. The surgery had gone just fine, but shortly afterward his heart had stopped and had to be restarted. This had happened four times and they were quite worried about him. The surgeon and cardiologist were with him and he was still in the operating room. Somewhere around 4:00 or so that afternoon the surgeon came down to talk with us. Johnathan had stabilized enough for them to move him from surgery to CCU. The doctor did not give any hope, saying that sometimes babies could recover, but not usually. The surgeon is quite reserved in his assessments and we knew he would be right with Johnathan, so we held out hope. We did notify friends and family that things were not going well. Shortly thereafter Irene's priest came by to offer help. When he discovered Scott's minister was there, he did not want to intrude and prepared to leave. It occurred to me that Irene and her husband were of Greek origin, therefore their priest must be Greek Orthodox, so I asked him if he knew Father Theodore. When he said he did, I asked him if he would call Father Theodore to let him know what was going on, he said he would.
We waited on, occasionally receiving reports from CCU. As time passed and Johnathan's heart continued to beat, each beat gave strength to the expectation that it would continue to beat. Finally, about 10:00PM Johnathan had stabilized enough that we could go up to see him. Of course he was in drug induced coma, but the monitors showed he was doing well, even to the point that some of the medications could be reduced. Our hopes soared. Those of us who were still on watch prepared to leave for the night to allow Tina and Scott the waiting room to themselves to get some rest. Keith and I, Scott's dad, Leverne, and uncle took our leave. Keith and I to return to the motel for the night, Leverne and his brother to make the long drive back to Ruby.
Shortly after we left the room a nurse came in to tell Tina and Scott that the doctors were on their way down to talk to them. When the doctors arrived it was to tell them that Johnathan's heart had gone into ventricular fibrillation and then stopped. They were unable to restart it this time. Johnathan had died at ll:03PM. As the doctors left, Tina and Scott gathered their belongings to go up to CCU to spend time with Johnathan. Gramma King and brother Richard called in and were told Johnathan had not made it. Tina called us at the motel to ask if we wanted to return, which, of course, we did. We would be there just as soon as possible.
Tina and Scott went into CCU and to the curtained area where Johnathan had been struggling to live. The bright lights were off, the monitors silent, the wires and needles gone. Johnathan was dressed in a blue gown and wrapped in a white blanket. Tina stepped to the bed and gently picked Johnathan up in her arms, then turned toward Scott. As she did so, Father Theodore stepped through the curtains.
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Tuesday, March 31, 1998. All day I have pondered the question of Father Theodore. Why did we seem to be drawn over and over again to Father Theodore? What were we to do, or to learn? Why were we led, over and over to him and how and why did he arrive at the hospital at the moment he did? Finally I understood. God knew we would need him. Not a pastor of our choosing, but of His choosing. A strong presence, an angel from God, to be there for us because He knew Johnathan would not be with us for long.
Our ways are not God's ways.
Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

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