Last Thursday, one of the kindest men I've ever known passed away. He left a lasting impression here on Earth... I truly believe he had a ministry right in his practice.
Here is Dr. Douthit after delivering Carter on February 20th, 2009. He loved to hold up the number of fingers for what number child had just been delivered. He also just liked to put bunny ears on people. :)
I remember some very sweet details about his joy with bringing life into the world, but also the tender heart he had when times weren't joyous at all.
When Grayson was born, he came after 24+ hours of labor. I ended up having a C-section and needed to stay in the recovery room for a few hours. But, Dr. D knew that Mom and Dad had been waiting and waiting to see their first grandchild. He came out to the waiting room, found Mom, and snuck her back to where I was with Grayson. He brought Grayson out into the hall so she could have a quick peek. :) I'm sure it was illegal, but oh so sweet. That's the kind of guy he was.
In June 2007, I had my first miscarriage at 13 weeks along. Dr. D was there and was so kind and comforting. He had his nurse, Nancy, escort me out of his office through the back doors, so I wouldn't have to face anyone in the waiting room with my tear-stained eyes. The next day, he met us at the surgery center for my D & C. I had just been wheeled into surgery, and they were about to put me to sleep. I looked up and Dr. D came and sat next to me, and held my hand as I went to sleep. He said nothing... but he didn't have to. I knew he was there.
In December 2007, I had my second miscarriage. Once again, he was encouraging, quiet, comforting, and gentle. He offered his cell number to me, just in case I needed anything. He called me at home to let me know of lab results, hormone levels, and just to check on me.
When we got pregnant with Carter, Dr. D allowed me to come in weekly for bloodwork, to make sure everything looked good. He did a sono at 6 weeks which showed a very tiny Carter, with a heartbeat! We were thrilled. He let us come in again at 9 weeks for another sono -- Carter had a head, arms, legs, and a body. And a very strong heartbeat. Dr. D beamed and told us that our chance for a miscarriage was now less than 10%. At about 13-14 weeks, I started having complications. I called Dr. D's office in tears, explaining what was going on. Not 30 minutes later, he called me personally, and asked me to come in. I had Jerry meet me there, dropped Grayson off at my mom's, and braced for the worst. We got to his office, had a sono, and there was Carter -- his little heart beating away. Dr. D told me to go home, put my feet up, and not do ANYTHING until I saw him again in a week. He also told me he would pray...
Well, Carter stayed snugly inside of me until at 39 weeks and 1 day, Dr. Douthit delivered a healthy 8 pound, 2 ounce baby boy into the world. He was a such a miracle, in so many ways, and we are so thankful for Dr. D's wisdom through the whole ordeal.
Dr. Douthit was humble, caring, God-loving, funny, and wise. He loved sailing and he loved to talk about the Jayhawks. He would always ask me how my mom was doing when I saw him for an appointment, and would ask her about me when she saw him. He always thought it was so cool that my brother had a house just a few streets down from his sister in Ft. Worth, TX. I got to meet his sister for the first time at David and Kristen's wedding... what a small world. He will be sorely missed here on Earth. I feel blessed to have known him for the past 17 years.
I can't wait to give him a hug in Heaven! I'm sure he's already up there sailing on the open sea...
