Katie with her Alan Jackson picture and special teddy bear.
One of the things that Katie loved most in the world was country music. My sister would record the CMT channel and we would take the video tapes to UNC. Katie would watch country music videos every waking moment while in her hospital room. Her doctors and nurses became used to walking into her room and hearing the latest country hits by artists like Trisha Yearwood and George Strait.
Katie’s favorite singing star in the whole world was Alan Jackson. She had all of his recordings and knew all of his songs by heart. Her favorites were “I Don’t Even Know Your Name” and “Little Bitty,” which she would sing to the top of her lungs while swinging on the playground.
One January day we were sitting in the waiting room at UNC for Katie’s first radiation treatment. The doctors had already told her that since I would not be allowed in the radiology room, she was allowed to bring a “special friend” such as a teddy bear.
Katie was sitting on the couch, patiently drawing and coloring, her teddy bear by her side. A very nice lady, who was also awaiting treatment, struck up a conversation with us. She asked Katie what was the name of her teddy bear. Katie replied, “Alan Jackson.”
To our delight, the nice lady told us that she had a friend in Nashville who worked for Alan Jackson. She said she would write her friend a letter telling her about the special little fan named Katie in NC. She seemed sincere, so I gave her our mailing address in case he wanted to write back to her.
A couple of weeks later Katie received a package from Nashville containing a picture of Alan Jackson on a motorcycle. He signed it: “To Katie, from your teddy bear. Love, Alan Jackson.” We framed this picture and she took it with her every time we went to the hospital where it was displayed prominently in her room.
About a year and a half later, Katie had to undergo a bone marrow transplant. Before the procedure, she had more radiation treatments. This time not only was she accompanied by “Alan Jackson Bear” and her special photograph, she was also able to take her Fisher Price tape player inside. Since there was a speaker on the outside of the room (to communicate with the patients), we were able to hear Mr. Jackson’s Greatest Hits loud and clear.
One of the technicians proclaimed to be a big country music fan as well and she loved Alan Jackson. She told me that he was going to be in concert in our area that very weekend. She said she would call the local country radio station to dedicate a song for Katie.
A couple days later Katie received a huge Alan Jackson poster and a tee shirt. We weren’t supposed to hang anything on the walls of the transplant unit, but the kind nurses made an exception for Katie. The poster went up on the wall, and Katie wore the tee shirt as a nightgown every single night.
Then one day while we were still at the hospital, the phone rang. A deep male voice said, “May I speak to Katie? This is Alan Jackson.” Needless to say, I was flabbergasted! Katie was lying on her bed, hooked up to morphine, not feeling well at all. I held the phone to her ear so that he could talk to her. He sang “Little Bitty” to my little girl and she smiled for the first time in days.
I spoke to him for a few minutes as well; he told me about his two daughters and how I must be a very strong person to go through my child’s illness. All of this occurred 11 years ago, but those ten minutes or so is one of my best memories with Katie.
Surely Mr. Jackson has reached out to other sick children as well, and I hope he realizes what a wonderful contribution he makes to their lives. To this day he holds a special place in our hearts.
And now… somewhere in heaven, Katie is on a swing, singing as loud as she can: “Might as well share, might as well smile/ Life goes on for a little bitty while…”
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