That Kid's Got Heart

Stuart Smith

23 YEARS AGO.  The phone rang, it was my brother telling me "it was a boy." I was struck my the elation and sheer joy in his voice. Brick is 8 years older than I am, and of the four Smith boys, he was the last one of us to become a father. It made me happy that he was so excited. It felt good. Stuart Bolling Smith was named after Brick's father-in-law, a wonderful man, with a folksy sense of humor and VMI to the core. It was fitting for Mr. Bolling to be honored in this way, as well as a damn good namesake for this baby boy to have.

40 minutes later, Brick called again. With tears and a broken voice, he told me not to come to the hospital, as it did not look like Stuart was going to make it. He was going to die. An Episcopal minister rushed to the hospital to read these words out of the Book of Common Prayer:
                                                                                                                                                               

Last Rites

O FATHER of mercies, and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need, we fly unto thee for succour in behalf of this thy servant, here lying under thy hand in great weakness of body......... forasmuch as in all appearance the time of his dissolution draweth near, so fit and prepare him, we beseech thee, against the hour of death, that after his departure hence in peace, and in thy favour, his soul may be received into thine everlasting kingdom, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thine only Son, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Yet, Stuart did not die. He had open heart surgery the day he was born. He's had many other operations and procedures, yet Stuart lives, in fact he thrives. Stuart was born a "blue baby," in a sense, he only had half a heart.

Despite being born with "half a heart," Stuart has MORE HEART than anyone I have ever known. Let me tell you about Stuart. The little son of a bitch is funny. We Smiths like to tease,..... unmercifully. Everyone is a target, we can't help it.  As you can tell from the picture above, Stuart is a goofball, always been that way. So you would think, a goofy  kid with a heart condition would get an exemption from the Smith brother ribbing and teasing. Nope, of all the nieces and nephews, Stuart has caught the most s#*t , probably because he is so good natured and quick with his own quips.  One Thanksgiving dinner, Stu brought a girl home from college. While passing the cranberry sauce, my brother Ken tells her that Stuart was born without a certain uh, eh,......male body part.  Stu rolls with it, Stu laughs, Stu can TAKE IT.

Stuart and my son Coleman always played on the same baseball team. They were polar opposites athletically. Stuart was not going to hit the ball. Because of his health issues, he was small, he ran funny and he was not very strong; yet Stuart was always the most popular player on the team. The little son of a bitch is funny; he makes you laugh. The kids loved him not out of sympathy for his heart condition, but because he had so much personality. Stuart always had a respectable on base percentage, because he would try and get hit by the ball! Now what kind of undersized, goofy kid with a heart condition tries to get beaned by the ball in little league so he can help his team? A kid with a HUGE heart.

Stuart was always a F-up. In high school, the chief administrator/disciplinarian ( a Dr. so and so) was busting Stuart's chops for being, well....a little F-up. What does Stuart do? Stuart creates a Facebook profile for the good Dr. with a bio that states  "I like little boys in tight pants. .... I am a proud member of the Nazi Party, ..... I live with my Mother,"....and well you get the picture. It was hilarious; his uncles were quite proud of him. Of course, he got kicked out of school for it, but hey, somethings are worth the price.

Stuart's heart was really giving him trouble his junior year in high school. Stu didn't give a happy nappy about school, and we speculate that it was because he didn't think he was going to live very long. Then something happened. My brother found a Dr. in Chicago who thought he could operate on Stuart and really help him. Stuart spent a number of weeks that year in Chicago at the Children's Memorial Hospital. The operation went well, really well. Then something miraculous happened to Stuart; he began to care. He went from a D student to straight As.

Stuart is now a senior in college and the goofy little son of a bitch is a TRIPLE major in Classical Studies, Philosophy and History!!! A Renaissance Man Extraordinaire! He is a straight  A student and has developed into a genuine strapping hoss, buffed up and chiseled from pumping iron. Last week, I was honored that he invited me to attend his History dissertation. I tried making faces at him so he would screw up, but he wasn't buying it. He lectured on the adaptability of Spartan culture over several centuries of Hellenistic migration patterns. He did a damn good job,  and it really made me think. I am really proud of Stuart for many reasons. Yes, he has met adversity and smacked it in the mouth. Yes, he is an academic phenom. Yes, he's got gumption. But what I like the most about Stu is his "funness" and good attitude.  He has never whined about anything. He's a winner !

To the left is a picture of Stuart. As you can see, he was always a book worm. This picture has absolutely nothing to do with this story. It is posted merely to embarrass Stuart. If you look closely, I think brother Ken may have been right in his Thanksgiving observation...