I want to share parts of our journey with you guys, and I think maybe sharing a post each Monday is the way I’m going to do it....sooooo, here goes!
Throughout our journey with a pediatric brain tumor (still mind blowing that this is a sentence I use), we’ve experienced all kinds of miracles - some small and some huge. This one is pretty damn big. This miracle is about a man - an incredible surgeon who’s job each and everyday is to save lives. Kids lives. My kid’s life.
Beckett James, age 4
“Dr. Whitehead ain’t got no quit in him.” That’s what one nurse (a nurse that just happened to catch us in the hallway during Beckett’s surgery) told us about our surgeon. And booooyyy, that was the perfect way to describe him.
About 12 hours after Beckett’s initial diagnosis we learned of an AMAZING neurosurgeon at Texas Children’s Hospital. After hearing about all of his experience and accomplishments from some of our most trusted friends (hi, miracles), we knew we had to travel to Houston and try to get on his service. TCH told us to come as soon as we could, and we’d be admitted under “whoever” was on call for that day. We decided to go ahead and go and then try to sneak into Dr. Whitehead’s care somehow. Wouldn’t you know it, the day we arrived, Dr. Whitehead was the surgeon on call (hello, miracle).
Beckett’s brain tumor - Pilocytic astrocytoma
We were admitted, and a few hours later Dr. Whitehead walked into our room with his team. He was so calm, so reassuring, so confident in what his team could do for us. He did a few cognitive tests on Beckett, had looked over his scans and medical report, and then he explained what our next steps would be and what the next couple of days would look like for us. He was thorough, he was factual, and he answered all of our questions honestly. After he left our room, I looked at my sister, and just exhaled. He had a good plan and I felt like, “okay with this guy, we got this.”
2 days before surgery, waking with dad.
1 day before surgery, after his MRI.
The day of Beckett’s surgery Dr. Whitehead calmly walked up to me in the hall and said “okay we have a room, it’s time.” About 45 minutes later I kissed my boy, walked out of the operating room, and he started performing a TEN HOUR surgery on my Bear. Most of that 10 hours was spent looking into a microscope, into my son’s brain, removing a tangerine-sized tumor. Around 8pm that same day, he walked into the waiting room just as calmly as before (although utterly exhausted) and said, “okay we got it all.” I WANTED TO JUMP ONTO HIM AND SMOTHER HIM WITH HUGS. But of course, I just cried and said “thank you thank you thank you.” (MIRACLE MIRACLE MIRACLE!!!)
The moment we found out the tumor was removed.
The day after surgery.
3 days after surgery.
....And then he left to go get some rest....so he could wake up the next day for his clinical hours...where he’d follow up and check on all the other kids he had performed surgery on. All the other kids he had saved.
He followed up with Beckett over the next few weeks we were in the hospital. He was always compassionate and calm, always remembered little things about Beckett and Lawd y’all - he saved his hair! (tiny miracle)
We’re forever grateful for you Dr. Whitehead. Miracle man.
Forever and ever Amen.
Side note: Dr. Whitehead LOVES Texas BBQ (who doesn’t?!) and in particular Franklin’s (duh) - so if anyone has a hook-up with Mr. Aaron Franklin and can get me a brisket shipped to Houston I’d love you...for like, a really long time.