Christopher Jason Simmons

PLEASE CLICK ON THE ANGEL ABOVE ,
TO VISIT JASON'S NEW WEBSITE.

3/17/81 - 2/19/01

JASON, ALTHOUGH WE MISS YOU SO MUCH, WE ARE SO HAPPY THAT YOU'RE
IN HEAVEN. NO MORE PAIN, NO MORE HOSPITALS OR SURGERIES. NOW YOU HAVE A PERFECT HEART,
DARLING SON, WE'LL SEE YOU AGAIN WE PROMISE. WAIT FOR US.
WE LOVE YOU,
MAMA,POP,SALLIE,MICHAEL,JAMES,BETH,
HOPE,HEATHER,GRANDMA,GRANNY,PAPA,NANNY PAULINE& YOUR MANY FRIENDS.

JASON WAS BORN WITH A HEART DEFECT.
WE DIDN'T FIND OUT UNTIL HE WAS 3 WEEKS OLD. AT THAT TIME HE HAD A BLALOCK SHUNT AT MUSC IN CHARLESTON, S.C. TO GIVE HIM TIME TO GROW FOR THE MAJOR OPEN HEART SURGERY. AT 3 YEARS OLD HE HAD A FONTAN PROCEDURE. HIS DEFECT WAS TRICUSPID ATRESIA. AT 4 YEARS HE WENT INTO CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE, BECAUSE OF SCAR TISSUE FROM THE SURGERY HIS HEART RATE WAS OVER 300.
AFTER SEVERAL TRIPS TO THE HOSPITAL AND NUMEROUS MEDICINES TRIED, A PACEMAKER WAS IMPLANTED. HE HAD SEVERAL IMPLANTED BECAUSE THEY ONLY LAST SO LONG.
HE ALSO HAD SURGERY FOR A DOUBLE HERNIA AND HAD SEVERAL EAR SURGERIES BY THE TIME HE WAS SIX. AFTER THAT HE LIVED A PRETTY NORMAL LIFE, EXCEPT FOR YEARLY CHECKUPS AND NEW PACEMAKERS. HE WORKED AT THE RADIO STATION HERE IN CAMDEN.
IT IS AN OLDIES STATION AND HE LOVED OLDIES. HE RECEIVED AWARDS FOR HIS WORK WITH THE TEEN HEALTH COALITION, WHERE HE WAS ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. HE WAS PRESIDENT OF HIS HIGH SCHOOL PEER MEDIATION GROUP, AND HIV/AIDS PREVENTION COALITION. HE WAS CHOSEN WITH SEVERAL OTHER STUDENTS FROM SOUTH CAROLINA TO MEET WITH GOVERNOR HODGES FOR HIS WORK IN THE HIV
PROGRAM. HE WAS VERY ACTIVE IN THE KERSHAW COUNTY FINE ARTS CENTER. AS YOU CAN SEE HE LIVED A VERY ACTIVE LIFE. THE SUMMER AFTER HIS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION, A BLOOD CLOT THE SIZE OF A GOLF BALL WAS FOUND ON THE MAIN ARTERY OF HIS HEART.
HE WAS PUT ON BLOOD THINNERS IN THE HOPE THAT THEY WOULD
DISSOLVE THE CLOT. IN OCTOBER HE WENT IN FOR A HEART CATH. NOT ONLY WAS THE CLOT STILL THERE, HIS HEART WAS ENLARGED TO 3 TIMES THE NORMAL SIZE, HE HAD A LOT OF SCAR TISSUE, THE SURGERY HE HAD AT 3 WAS NO LONGER WORKING AND HE NEEDED A NEW PACEMAKER. SURGERY WAS SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER THE 8TH, 2000. HE WAS IN SURGERY FOR 12 1/2 HRS.
AFTER A FEW DAYS IN ICU HE WAS PLACED IN HIS OWN ROOM, SO I COULD STAY WITH HIM. HE CAME HOME CHRISTMAS EVE NIGHT. WE HAD A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS, HE SAID THE BEST EVER. THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS HE WASN'T FEELING WELL, SO I TOOK HIM TO HIS LOCAL DR. HE HAD PNEUMONIA SO HE HAD TO GO BACK TO MUSC. HE WAS VERY SICK. HE FINALLY GOT TO COME HOME JAN. 8TH, 2001. HE NEVER REALLY FELT GOOD AGAIN. I KEPT TELLING THE DRS. HE WAS
SLEEPING ALL THE TIME AND NOT EATING. HE HAD LOST 50 LBS. THEY TOLD ME HE WAS JUST DEPRESSED WHICH WAS NORMAL FOR TEENAGERS AFTER SUCH A TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE. WE WENT BACK FOR HIS CHECK UP FEB. 7TH. THEY SAID HE WAS DOING FINE. I THINK JASON KNEW HE WASN'T GOING TO MAKE IT, BECAUSE WE HAD MANY TALKS AND HE TOLD ME IF HE DIDN'T MAKE IT, HE WAS READY TO GO. HE KNEW WHERE HE WAS GOING. HE WAS GOING TO HEAVEN. HE TOLD ME NOT TO BLAME MYSELF IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO HIM. IF THE SURGERY DIDN'T HELP HIM MAYBE IT WOULD HELP SOMEONE ELSE.
HE ALSO TOLD ME, HE THOUGHT GOD'S PURPOSE FOR HIS LIFE WAS TO
HELP OTHERS. SOMETIMES I FELT LIKE THE CHILD AND HE THE PARENT DURING OUR TALKS. THE NIGHT BEFORE HE DIED HE MADE ME PROMISE THAT HE WOULD NEVER HAVE TO HAVE SURGERY AGAIN.
I PROMISED, BECAUSE I KNEW HE WAS TIRED OF IT ALL. HE WAS READY TO GO IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THEN. THE NEXT MORNING I GOT UP & HE WAS ON THE COUCH WHICH WASN'T UNUSUAL I THOUGHT HE WAS ASLEEP.
I TRIED TO WAKE HIM UP TO GIVE HIM HIS MEDICINE AND HE WOULDN'T
WAKE UP. NEEDLESS TO SAY I WENT BALLISTIC. MY HUSBAND IS A POLICE OFFICER SO WHEN I CALLED 911 I TOLD THEM TO GET HIM HOME. WE FOLLOWED THE AMBULANCE TO THE HOSPITAL.
HIS HEART WAS STILL BEATING, BUT I THINK I KNEW WE WERE GOING
TO LOSE HIM. I TOLD MY HUSBAND NOT TO LET THEM PUT HIM ON LIFE SUPPORT BECAUSE HE WOULDN'T WANT IT. HE PASSED AWAY AT AROUND 9 AM THAT MORNING. THE DR. WANTED AN AUTOPSY, BUT I TOLD THEM NO.
I PROMISED HIM HE'D NEVER BE CUT AGAIN AND I MEANT TO KEEP THAT PROMISE.
THEY SAID HE EITHER HAD ANOTHER BLOOD CLOT OR HIS PACEMAKER QUIT WORKING. BUT I KNOW HIS PACEMAKER WAS WORKING BECAUSE I HAD A MACHINE TO CHECK HIS HEART & I CHECKED IT THAT MORNING AND IT WAS BEATING FINE. MY HUSBAND AND I BOTH BELIEVE HE WAS HEMORRHAGING INTERNALLY, BECAUSE OF THE BLOOD THINNERS HE WAS STILL TAKING.
BUT I BELIEVE IT WAS HIS TIME TO GO AND GOD SENT HIS ANGELS TO CARRY HIM HOME, SO IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER WHAT HAPPENED TO CAUSE HIS DEATH. I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT GOD KNOWS WHEN YOU ARE BORN JUST HOW LONG YOU WILL STAY.
HIS FATHER, MYSELF, HIS BROTHER MIKE AND SISTER SALLIE THANK GOD EVERY DAY FOR LETTING US KEEP HIM ALMOST 20 YEARS. HE WAS OUR BABY. MIKE AND SALLIE WERE 9 & 8 YEARS OLD WHEN HE WAS BORN. WE WILL ALWAYS MISS HIM, BUT WE KNOW HE IS IN HEAVEN. HE IS HEALTHY AND WHOLE WITH A PERFECT HEART. HE
LEFT US BEHIND BUT WE WILL SEE HIM AGAIN SOMEDAY. HIS GRANDPARENTS, NEICES, BROTHER AND SISTER-IN-LAW ALSO MISS HIM TERRIBLY. I BELIEVE HE WAS OUR GIFT FROM GOD. HE TOUCHED SO MANY LIVES IN HIS SHORT TIME HERE ON EARTH AND
ACCOMPLISHED MORE IN HIS SHORT LIFE THAN MOST PEOPLE ACCOMPLISH IN A LONG LIFETIME.

AND GOD SAID......

Posted on the wall at the
Oklahoma City bombing site
by K. C. and Myke Kuzmic
Stockton, Ca.

I said, "God, I hurt."
And God said, "I know."

I said, "God, I cry alot."
And God said, "That's why I gave you tears."

I said, "God, I am so depressed."
And God said, "That's why I gave you Sunshine."

I said, "God, life is so hard."
And God said, "That's why I gave you loved ones."

I said, "God, my loved one died."
And God said, "So did mine."

I said, "God, it is such a loss."
And God said, "I saw my son nailed to a cross."

I said, "God, but your loved one lives."
And God said, "So does yours."

I said, "God where are they now?:
And God said, "Mine is on my right and
yours is in the Light."

I said, "God it hurts."
And God said, "I know."

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS TERRIBLE TIME WITH US. BIG THANK YOUS TO REV. JOE STINES AND CHAPLAIN K. J. LEWIS.
BETH FIELDS, MY GREAT FRIEND WHO HAS BEEN THERE FOR ME FROM DAY ONE. GEORGE WATERS, WHO NEVER LEFT OUR SIDE DURING EVERYTHING,AND CHRIS ANDERSON, JIMMY'S GOOD BUDDY.
OUR GREAT FRIENDS, BILL AND EDNA LEMMONS,MIKE,KAREN AND MARIA FANN.MY OLD HIGH SCHOOL BUDDY, MARIE DUNN(SIS).
THE MEMBERS OF THE CAMDEN POLICE DEPARTMENT, DEANA HORTON OF THE VICTIMS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND MY DEAR FRIEND, BRENDA FRANKLIN. DR. PAUL GILLETTE AND VICKI ZEIGLER. DR. PHIL SAUL,AMY SIMMONS AND ALL THE STAFF OF MUSC.
OUR PARENTS,CHILDREN,GRANDCHILDREN,BROTHERS AND SISTERS.ALSO, OUR NEW FRIENDS WE HAVE MET THROUGH MPAS AND THE COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS.
THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY TO NAME ALL OF YOU,BUT YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. PLEASE FORGIVE US FOR NOT NAMING EVERYONE,BUT THE LIST WOULD NEVER END.
WE LOVE YOU ALL AND COULDN'T HAVE MADE IT THIS FAR WITHOUT ALL OF YOU.
JIMMY AND ANN
"JASON'S MOM AND POP FOREVER"