A Million Reasons
121 Church Street, Vidalia
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to walking with a cane. I just wanted
to keep going. I wanted to live and
work. And I love law enforcement.”
The community stepped up as
well. A “Reverse Beauty Pageant” was
held to help raise money for Elliot’s
rising medical expenses. “People
within the Vidalia Police Department
made ‘Johnny Bravo’ t-shirts as a
fundraiser. I got the nickname Johnny
Bravo when I first came to Toombs
County. It had something to do with
my hair,” he said with a grin.
After four months of treatment,
Elliot returned for a follow-up on
January 22, 2015, only to learn that
the cancer had returned. In February,
he was referred to Emory in Atlanta
for three stem cell transplants and
another round of chemotherapy
stronger than the time before. “I
had to stay in Atlanta for those
three months,” said Elliot. “They
told me they would take my own
stem cells out of my bone marrow,
freeze them, and then give me a
stronger chemo that would take my
immune system down to zero. Then
they would infuse my own stem
cells back into my body. If they
took, I’d be okay. If they didn’t, I’d
be in trouble.” If Elliot’s stem cells
didn’t work out, a bone transplant
would be necessary. “I only have
one sister. Even if we matched, it
wasn’t a hundred percent guarantee
that that would work, either. My
sister was on standby in Alabama
for three months.”
After the treatments at Emory,
“They found a dead tumor on my
right kidney about the size of a
softball and a bunch of dead lymph
nodes in my stomach area, which
all had to be removed. In October
2015, Dr. Masters from Emory cut
out the tumor and removed all
the dead lymph nodes. He saved
my kidney, but he had to put a
tube from my vena cava vein into
my leg because of damage to the
vein from cancer. The operation
took eight hours. I remember
going in Operation Room #7. The
temperature on the wall said 52
degrees. They laid me on a cold
slab, and the ‘Pain Management’
guy said, ‘Mr. Coursey? You doing
all right? You ready for this?’ I said,
‘Lord, be with me.’”
When he opened his eyes again, all
he could see was a big bright light.
Elliot had heard the stories about
after-death experiences. “They
always see a bright light,” he said.
Quickly, he closed his eyes again.
“When I opened them the second
time, I heard voices in the distance.
I was sure I’d died and woke up in
Heaven. Then I heard a lady say,
‘Mr. Coursey? You’re in the Recovery
Room. You’ve been here for the last
four and a half hours.’ I said, ‘Thank
you, Jesus! Where’s my wife?’ I must
have kissed Carolyn about a hundred
times in front of everyone,” said
Elliot.
After all the treatments and
surgery at Emory, he returned home
18 Toombs County Magazine