Unraveling the ‘Mystery.’

A wise old sage once said…

“Doctors are like plumbers… some are real artists of their trade, while others… well, let’s just say, their pipes leak!” 

After consulting and working with over 60 medical experts and doctors in the first two to three years of Jessica’s life, I would have to agree, it is a mixed bag. Members of the medical profession, in my mind, are no longer up there on a pedestal.

They are not infallible.

An Amazing Gifted Doctor.

There are, however, some very unselfish and dedicated doctors out there. Some of them very bright. One such is Dr. Robert C. Burton, or as he once said to us…

“… not the actor, you know, I am the other one.” 

He was a delightfully humorous and refreshing personality and an absolutely brilliant neurologist. Dr. Burton was the founding partner at Neurology Associates, coincidently the very same practice who had, through Dr. Williams, done Jessica’s first EEG. He had also been the Director of Children’s Medicine at the MAYO Clinic for more than a decade.

When other neurologists would go to a seminar, Dr. Burton was one of the people they were going to hear speak. He once had made medical history by determining that rabies had been transmitted in an eye cornea transplant, against all odds and in spite of the skepticism of his contemporaries. It was the first time such a thing had ever happened or at least was correctly diagnosed.

He was an uninhibited and brilliant thinker not affected by prevailing medical biases. He became one of the vital keys to our solution of the ‘Jessica mystery’ and an important cog in our future adventures.

A Lighted Candle in the Darkness.

One Monday morning, Renée answered the phone…

“Hi Renée, this is Carolyn. I saw something on TV last night that made me think of you guys and little Jessica…” she paused.

Carolyn was a friend from church and also a former registered nurse, who was very familiar with our predicament.

“I think you should check it out,” she went on with excitement in her voice. “There was a little boy on the show that sounded like he had the exact same problem as Jessica!” she breathlessly finished. “Did you see it?”

Later that evening when I came home from work, Renée shared the information with me. Apparently there had been a program on one of the Sunday evening investigative news shows the night before. The name of the program was “DPT, The Roulette of Vaccines.” It was both stunning and intriguing.

I then had a quick flash back, and something kind of started to click in the back of my mind. You know the feeling, like when you are doing a puzzle and holding a few pieces in your hand with the nagging idea that you know where they belong, but where?

I thought of Jessica crying unconsolably on Halloween night, and that terrible Friday afternoon, both in close proximity to her DPT vaccinations. My heart jumped! Could it be possible that the answer had been right in front of us all these years?

I resolved to find out.

Looking for Clues.

Tuesday morning, I went to work early. I wanted to be there so I could plan the day and I couldn’t wait to get started. We had to see this program, the DPT revelation!

I decided to start with the local affiliate, and if they couldn’t help me, I would work up the ‘food chain’ to the president of the network or whoever could help. I was a man on a mission, and at last Jessica’s ‘mystery’ was starting to unravel.

I sensed a breakthrough.

“Hello this is Lisa,” said the polite voice on the line. “May I help you?”

“Hello this is Jim Walker and I am calling from Idaho…”

I had been making calls for nearly two hours. I had called my way all the way up to the network VP of news in New York. The network executive had listened to my inquiry patiently, as I explained my reasons for calling, and then I repeated my questions for the 10th or 12th time:

“Did he know the broadcast I was looking for?” 

“Could he get me a copy?”

“Did he know any way I could access the material?”

Realize of course, this was before ‘cable news’ and before the ‘internet saturation’ we have today. In retrospect, it was an archaic way to proceed, but it was all I had at the time and I was absolutely not giving up.

“Well, Mr. Walker, I am in complete sympathy with your plight,” he said smoothly, “but…” 

‘Uh oh, here comes the rejection again,’ I thought, as he continued…

“…we only had broadcast rights to the program you are seeking, for one time and one time only,” he paused to clear his throat. “However, I can put you in touch with the lady who authored the program and holds the copyright on it, if you would like to try to get her permission.”

The Pot of Gold.

I was at the end of the rainbow. One more phone call to go.

After I explained my situation to Lisa, the investigative reporter who had authored the program, she was very sweet, and she not only offered to give me a copy of the exact script, but she also said she would overnight ship it to me!

I hung up the phone with a sigh of relief. One more day.

Solving the Puzzle.

The next morning the package was waiting on my desk and I ripped it open and began to read. And in my mind, as I read, the pieces of the puzzle began drifting slowly down from the gray twilight into the bright light and magically forming a suddenly clear picture. The villain lay exposed before me and as I read on, my heart quickened.

At our ‘neuro clinic’ check-up with Dr. Burton a few days later, at the end of Jessica’s examination, Renée suddenly sat upright and looked him straight in the eye. I could tell by the look on her face, that she had something serious to say.

She carefully posed the possible DPT connection to him, and ended by asking…

“… Do you think that could be Jessica’s problem?”

It was a simple question, but with years of medical, emotional, physical and spiritual searching behind it. After all these long years, it had boiled down to just one question. Renée sat back and waited expectantly.

Dr. Burton sat there silently rubbing his chin and looking a little comical. With his fuzzy hair and unique poses, he reminded me of someone I had seen before. ‘Gyro Gearloose,’ I concluded, you know, the wacky but brilliant inventor cousin of Donald Duck. Yeah that was it… ‘Gyro Gearloose.’

“Yes,” he abruptly said, interrupting my thoughts, and now looking more like a wise old wizard. “Yes, I think that is a definite possibility.”

To our amazement, he continued, “…in fact, there is a similar case in Twin Falls, that I have been called on as an expert to offer testimony.”

Nodding his head he finished, “Yes! It is worth checking into.” I looked at Renée and she was smiling.

Next Week: “The Christmas Awakening.”

I will continue to share the answers to the question “What happened to Jessica?” every Monday in the weeks ahead. When I have received sufficient feedback and questions, I will add a Thursday episode, as needed, to this blog, focused on answering your questions and comments.

Thanks for your interest.

Jim, Renee & Jessica