A Precious Phone Call

Tonight our phone rang at about 9:30pm, with a call from Dr. Jim Netterville, the amazingly gifted physician who did both surgeries to remove Cooper's tumor. I just had to write a little about this man, who truly is a "hero" to our family and so many others.

I have sent a Christmas card to his office the last couple of years from our family, not necessarily expecting that he would even see it. This year he opened our card and called us at home to thank us, ask about the family, and about what all we were doing with the foundation. We talked for 10 minutes or so, and I don't know if he will ever realize the profound impact it had on me and Rod, that he would take the time out of his busy schedule to call (keep in mind, it has been almost 2 years since he did the 2nd surgery on Cooper). He was so kind and encouraged me with these words, "how wonderful it is that you and Rod listened and obeyed God's calling to help others, when you were going through what some would consider hell on earth."

Cooper with Dr. Netterville 

I have had the opportunity to know quite a few people in the medical field, and I must say that this man is truly one-of-a-kind! Not only is Dr. Netterville the Director of Head and Neck Surgery at Vanderbilt,  an international leading authority on treating head and neck cancer, one of the world's experts in the treatment of skull base tumors and has a vast clinical experience, he is a man of God, humble beyond words, with one of the most caring hearts of anyone I know. I look forward to the day when Cooper is a little older and can personally thank him for what he did. God has gifted this man with an amazing skill, and I still thank the Lord for placing us in Dr. Netterville's care.


We will forever be grateful to this man for removing the sarcoma (which he himself referred to as "the size of a tangerine in an infant's head") through 2 complicated surgeries on Cooper's head/neck. However, the magnitude of our gratefulness for the "person" he is, and not just the "surgeon" cannot really be expressed in words. What a blessing to get this precious phone call tonight!