My day came to a halt this past Monday morning when the radio host announced the death of Dr. C. Everett Koop at the age of 96. I nodded as the accomplishments of his life in politics were listed: Surgeon General under Ronald Reagan, evangelical Christian and early champion of the pro-life movement, promoter of AIDS education and prevention, crusader of tobacco health warnings, and defender of the rights of children with special needs.
But that story, and every other media story about this remarkable man barely mentioned C. Everett Koop’s many accomplishments before he became Surgeon General:
They didn’t mention his longs tenure as surgeon-in-chief and practicing physician at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia from from 1946 to 1981.
They didn’t mention he created the first neonatal intensive care (NICU) at CHOP in 1956.
They didn’t mention that he pioneered the field of pediatric surgery by perfecting the administration of safe doses of anesthesia to newborns, babies, and children.
They didn’t mention that the first birth anomaly surgically corrected by Koop was a tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), now known as esophageal atresia (EA/TEF).
They didn’t mention that the baby would have died from EA/TEF without the risky surgery.
They didn’t mention that because of that original, pioneering work our son, who was born in 1982 with EA/TEF, is alive today.
They didn’t mention the impact C. Everett Koop had on our family.
But C. Everett Koop’s impact on our family was all I could think about on Monday. It was all my husband could think about, too. He mentioned the news the minute he came in the door after work. Together we talked about how this great man’s work changed our lives in ways not noticeable to national media reports, but worthy of mention none-the-less.
Because of C. Everett Koop,
we have a son,
we have a daughter-in-law,
we have a grandchild.
Because of C. Everett Koop,
I know about parenting a child with special needs,
I can encourage other parents when
I write and blog about special needs.
Because of C. Everett Koop,
my husband and I have seen God weave together the lives of believers,
we have seen His sovereign hand stitch together brokenness of our lives, and
we have seen His grace poured out on us in ways we don’t deserve.
Because of C. Everett Koop,
I’ve been weeping tears of wonder and joy since Monday,
I’ve been whispering prayers of gratitude for the gift of our son’s life,
I’ve been praying for the family mourning the loss of the man they loved.
Father God, thank you for the blessing of C. Everett Koop’s life. Thank you for using him in our lives and in the lives of so many other parents of children with special needs. Thank you for this example of how you use believers on this earth to do your redeeming work.
Who has God used to impact your family in amazing ways? Leave a comment!
photo source: The Gospel Coallition
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Another great man of God impacted me, and thousands of others, and he went on to be with his Savior five days before C. Everett Koop. His name is Howard “Prof” Hendricks and he taught at Dallas Theological Seminary. Many well known, sound Biblical teachers learned to study God’s Word with the methods he taught…..Chuck Swindoll, Chip Ingram, David Jeremiah and Tony Evans to name a few. God gave them special assignments and they were faithful in their assignments. My son, who has special needs, has an assignment from God, too. We all do and we need to do them faithfully as that’s what God has asked us to do…..listening to the Holy Spirit and being obedient to the tasks He gives us to do.
So beautifully written. Think of all the people whose lives are better because of the accomplishments of one man….lives he never could imagined he had touched. Thank you for sharing these images.
And the really cool thing is that God knows all these things and I’m sure HE had them in His heart when he said to Dr. Koop, “Well done, good and faithful servant, … enter into the joy of your Lord.”
Thanks, Martha, for your tribute to Howard Hendricks. He is a shining example of a person who impacted the world for good. Thank you, S. Tortomasi for reminding us of how God takes what people do in His name to accomplish good beyond what they can imagine, and thank you, Anne, for turning our eyes to eternity and our ultimate hope.
Wow, what a window to your heart and such an important man. I’m so glad you took the time to give him the shout-out he deserved. And that his work brought your voice to the world of special needs!!!
Thank God for men like him!
Thanks, Jolene. I had no idea of Dr. Koop’s entire legacy. Amazing and wonderful! Someone who made a huge impact on my husband and I, as we learned to navigate the world of special needs, was Henri Nouwen. The day I heard Henri died, I grieved. I had planned to travel to the L’Arche community of Daybreak, in Canada, where he lived and ministered. I look forward to meeting him in heaven, and giving him a huge hug. I will thank him for showing me the beauty in brokenness, and the strength in weakness.