Because of C. Everett Koop
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 long tenure as surgeon-in-chief and practicing physician at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia 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 the impact C. Everett Koop had 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 nonetheless.
To read the rest of this article, please go to the Not Alone website.
photo source: The Gospel Coalition
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By Jolene
Jolene Philo is the author of several books for the caregiving community. She speaks at parenting and special needs conferences around the country. Sharing Love Abundantly With Special Needs Families: The 5 Love Languages® for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities, which she co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman, was released in August of 2019 and is available at local bookstores, their bookstore website, and Amazon. See Jane Dance!, the third book in the West River cozy mystery series, which features characters affected by disability, was released in October of 2023.
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- Pyloromyotomy has made progress | Stories from the Survivors of early Surgery - [...] C Everett Koop died on 25th February 2013 at the age of 96. A most appreciative tribute and comments…
- Pyloromyotomy has made progress | Stories from the Survivors of early Surgery - [...] C Everett Koop died on 25th February 2013 at the age of 96. A most appreciative tribute and comments…
- Three Thoughts for Thursday | Down the Gravel Road www.jolenephilo.com - [...] week is a good one to remember C. Everett Koop who died Monday at age 96. He’s best remembered…
- Three Thoughts for Thursday | Down the Gravel Road www.jolenephilo.com - [...] week is a good one to remember C. Everett Koop who died Monday at age 96. He’s best remembered…
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Christine,
That was my first thought when I heard the news, too. Gratitude that we sent those birthday/thank you cards when he could still enjoy them. He was an amazing man!
You’re so right, Wendy. Even though those early surgeries weren’t done perfectly, they saved many lives.
Jolene
Wow. I had no idea. I mean, I remember him as the Surgeon General under Regan but I had no idea his passion was pediatrics. Thanks for sharing. (found you via Love that Max link-up)
Wonderful post! He was a pioneer in pediatrics, that’s for sure. Likely because of his influence, I had a pediatric surgeon correct my pyloric stenosis and not a general surgeon. I owe him! And so do thousands of others.
I know I was adding stuff to the list in my head when I seen it on CNN. He did a TON more than they gave him credit for. So thankful that we sent him Birthday cards with a personal thank you for all that he had done!