JAMES HAWK SMITH

Wanda and Warren’s memories and pictures of Hawk --

Warren and I want to share some of our memories and pictures of Hawk. He was a special little boy. He loved life so much and was always full of energy. Gwen has said that he was up early every morning and said if the sun was up it was time to get up. Every time we saw him, except when he was sick, he was playing outside, playing inside, playing on the computer or busy doing something. Mike and Gwen were with him at the end. I talked to both of them a couple of times that evening. Mike told me that he thought Hawk must have known he wouldn’t be here long so he tried to cram everything he could in. He loved his family and we all loved him.

Everyone was very excited when Hawk was born. He was Jamie’s first child and Gwen and Mike’s first grandson. He was named James Hawk for his two great-grandfather Smith’s, his PaPa Mike and of course Jamie. The name Hawk came from Daddy’s Cherokee Indian heritage. He was a special boy with a special name. He was a beautiful little boy with big blue eyes and a big smile.

Mother with Hawk when he was a newborn.

Mother, me holding Hawk

Warren and I don’t see the children much since we don’t live close to them so we didn’t see a lot of Hawk but every time we visited family in Tennessee, we saw him and spent time

with him. We probably saw more of him the first two years of his life because Mother was still alive and in a nursing home and we tried to see her as much as possible. I remember one time visiting Mother at the nursing home and Gwen had brought Hawk and Breanna to see Mother. Mother always loved when Gwen brought them to see her. Hawk was just a baby and I took care of him that day. He was a good little baby and so cute and sweet.

Here are some of my earlier pictures of Hawk from my collection :

Me and Hawk





A closeup of Hawk. He was a beautiful little boy. He was a little over 1 year old in this picture.






Gwen and Hawk. Some of these pictures were made at Breanna's 2nd birthday party.



Me and Hawk

Gwen, Breanna, Hawk and Kayla






Breanna, Kayla, Mike and Hawk

Breanna, Mother, Kayla and Hawk

I'm not sure when this was made but it might have been in 2004

I’ll never forget the message on our answering machine from Gwen when Hawk was diagnosed with Pontine Glioma. We had just returned from a trip to Las Vegas and saw messages on the machine. Gwen said that Hawk was very sick and left a phone number to call. I immediately called her and got the bad news. There were lots of tears that day. I got on the internet and researched Pontine Glioma and the news was very bad. Most children didn’t survive past 6 months or a year after being diagnosed but we were praying that Hawk would be the exception and beat all the statistics.

Warren and I started making plans to go to Tennessee and see Hawk. In late December 2005 we flew there and Hawk wasn’t feeling very well at all. He was on steroids and they made him feel really bad. He mostly lay on the couch and watched cartoons or slept. He always wanted one of his blankets on him. He didn’t like anyone but his close family and mostly Mike being close to him or talking to him so we honored that. Every once in a while he would say something to us. We just felt really bad for him. Everyone was sad and shocked at what was happening to him.

These are pictures made in December 2005 when we went to Tennessee:

Chris, Mike, Hawk and Skyla

Gwen holding Hawk

Mike and Hawk

I kept in touch with Gwen several times a week to check on Hawk and we went back to Tennessee in late January 2006 to see him (and everyone else) again. He was feeling much better then than when we had seen him a month before. He was playing and had lots of energy. We went outside with him and Warren swung him on the swing set in the back yard. Then he wanted to ride his battery operated 4-wheeler and would pretend he was going to run over Warren. Warren would stand still like Hawk was going to hit him and then move out of his way. I took pictures and a movie for Gwen. Then Hawk wanted to go back in the house so we took him back inside. Brooke and Skyla were there also. Hawk and Warren played for a long time inside throwing a balloon back and forth to each other. He loved to play. When Mike got home from work Hawk wanted to go outside again and ride some more. Mike pushed Skyla in one of the push toys and Brooke and Hawk rode the 4-wheelers. We were glad to see Hawk feeling so much better.

Some pictures from our January 2006 trip:

Me, Tuesday, Gwen, Hawk and Skyla.

Hawk in his Blues Clues chair with one of his favorite blankets over him

Hawk on his 4-wheeler pretending to run into Warren

Mike with Skyla and Hawk

Hawk, Brooke and Warren. This is when Warren and Hawk were playing with the balloon but you can't see the balloon. :-)

Mike pushing Skyla in her push toy and Hawk riding his 4-wheeler

Warren and Hawk

We didn’t see Hawk again until late October of 2006. I was scheduled for hip replacement surgery in November so we decided to go to West Virginia to visit Warren’s sister Debbi and her family and then go on to Tennessee to visit with Gwen and Mike. We didn’t know when we would be able to travel again after my surgery. So we drove to West Virginia and visited there and then we drove to Tennessee and spent a couple of days there. Hawk and Skyla spent one day while we were there. Hawk was feeling great and was so full of energy. Warren was sitting in the rocking chair and Hawk got cushions and put them on Warren’s legs and put the small couch Gwen bought for the kids at the bottom of Warren’s feet and then Hawk would climb over the arm of the chair and do flips down the pillows and onto the couch. He did that several times. One time the adults were in the kitchen and we looked in the living room and Hawk and Skyla were sitting in the little couch watching tv. It looked so cute to see them sitting there together.

Hawk and Skyla on the couch

Every time I would call Gwen she would say that Hawk was feeling good and looked great. He was eating great and had actually gained some weight. He was always a small little boy for his age. We were beginning to believe that he was beating the tumor since he was doing so well.

We were shocked to hear in late January of this year (2007) that the symptoms of the brain tumor were coming back. Gwen told me that Hawk’s eye had started turning in and then he got double vision. Everyone was hoping that Hawk’s condition would stay at that point but it wasn’t to be and he just kept getting worse; losing use of his leg and his arm. He just kept getting worse and we started talking about going back to Tennessee to see him but we didn’t get to see him alive again. I did talk to him twice on the phone and he told me that he loved me. Usually he wouldn’t talk to me on the phone; like the other kids, but the last two times I called Gwen when he was at her house, he did come to the phone and say “I love you. Bye.” One of the times Gwen had already hung up and he told her to call back and he told Warren he loved him and then told me he loved me. He was a sweet little boy and he is greatly missed by everyone in his family.

Aunt Wanda and Uncle Warren Parker