He defied all odds.  He lived 2 1/2 years and amazed every doctor that came in contact with him.  His trials and triumphs changed many of the rules of the medical profession.  What the doctors learned from caring for Jacob will help improve the care that special children like Jacob need to live a longer, more normal life.




Dr. Rees Oliver was on call the day Jacob was born and I am so blessed that he was.  He prayed over Jacob the entire time he worked to keep him alive.  He told me many months later, that in his heart he did not see Jacob ever making it out of the operating room.  Dr. Oliver transported him, personally, to Children's Hospital in hopes of a miracle.



Dr. Reed Dimmitt was on call in the NICU when Dr. Oliver got Jacob to Children's Hospital.  He cared for Jacob for the next two months.  It was a very rocky two months but Dr. Dimmitt never gave up on him.  He also experienced the miracles that God works.  When Jacob was a week old his lung collapsed while on the ventilator and we were told that there wasn't much hope.   Jacob was awake and active the next morning.

Dr. Dimmitt is a big teddy bear, whether he wants you to know it or not.  He has the biggest heart.  He was the very first person to answer an email that I sent out notifying people of Jacob needing a kidney donor.  He went to the lab that same week and was tested to give Jacob his kidney!  I cried for days just knowing that he would make that kind of sacrifice for one of his patients.  He was a match.

Dr. Dimmitt is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UAB and shares Jacob's story with many of his students as well as friends and family.






Dr. Oliver is a Professor of Pediatrics and shares Jacob's story all over the United States as he speaks to hundreds of medical students who come to hear how God and the medical profession work hand in hand.  He is an amazing man of God and believes whole-heartedly in the power of prayer and the works of the Great Physician, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  

Dr. Oliver loves to tell the world of our Awesome God and what miracles he has worked in Jacob's life.

We had the honor of Dr. Oliver speaking at "Jacob's Celebration of Life," February 12, 2007.  He brought tears of both joy and sorrow as he spoke of Jacob's journey and the blessing it was for him and all the members of the medical staff at Children's Hospital and Shelby Baptist to have the pleasure of taking care of one of "God's special angels".



Jacob's smile would melt your heart. There was rarely a day when he wasn't smiling that big, precious smile!  He was a blessing to all that met him.  He is well known at Children's Hospital as "Baby Jacob, God's Miracle Child."

Jacob's Daddy and I made the decision to donate Jacob's liver, heart valves and corneas.  He was not able to donate kidneys due to him being born without any and his lungs were diseased.

Jacob's liver was flown immediately to Florida to be transplanted into a 18 month old little girl.  We later found out that the surgeons were not able to use Jacob's liver due to his veins and arteries being abnormal.  

His heart valves were found to be infected which surprised us being that his heart was the healthiest organ he had.

His corneas were used to restore sight to a 3 month old baby boy and a 25 year old female, both whom live in North Carolina.

I am so very thankful that Jacob was able to give two beautiful people the blessing of seeing the world through his eyes.



November 2, 2007

I received a letter from Bridget, the mother of the baby boy who received one of Jacob's corneas.  I wanted to share his pictures with you.  He is a precious little angel!  Today, is also his birthday.....he is 1 yr old.  Happy Birthday, McKinley!


Jacob's Cornea Recepient
McKinley - 6 months old

McKinley at 11 months old
October 2007



Thank you Bridget for allowing my friends and family to join in the celebration of Jacob's gift of sight.  McKinley is a very precious, beautiful baby boy and he and your family will always have a very special place in my heart.

JACOB CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES

THRIFT STORE

In loving memory of Jacob, my parents have come up with a way to help parents of children who are in the hospital.  

Endless hours of sitting in the waiting rooms of the hospital gave my family and I the opportunity to share the gospel of how God had worked miracles in Jacob’s life. He was never supposed to have lived, but he fought for 2 ½ years and touched so many lives in that time.

We learned that you never really know what it is like to have a chronically or terminally ill child until you are actually put in that situation. No one can imagine how much it changes your whole world. It is a place that no parent ever wants to be.

When your child is in PICU or NICU, you have set hours that you can visit with them. Unless you have a room at the Ronald McDonald House or one of the “roach motels” down the street you spend your nights sleeping in a straight back chair in the waiting rooms. The majority of the people do not leave the waiting rooms in case something was to go wrong with their child they want to be right outside the doors. I was the same way.

You sit and talk with these families and you realize that maybe your child isn’t as bad off as some of the other children. They are all in bad condition because they are there for some reason or the other but when you talk to a parent whose two year old drowned in a pool and is now in a vegetative state, you realize that you are not as bad off because you can hold your child and love on them and they respond to you. That is what I mean when I say, “there is always someone worse off”.

February 3, 2007, we became one of those families that we always considered “worse off”. Jacob suffered a hemorrhagic stroke that left him in a vegetative state. Our beautiful little boy that used to stare at us with those big blue eyes that were so full of life, no lay lifeless in a hospital bed never to speak another word or give us that precious little smile he always wore. Our world was torn apart. We had to make the decision that no parent ever wants to make. We had to decide whether to leave our baby on life support and him never be the same and only continue to get worse or to let him go home to be with the Lord and free of pain. We chose to let him go.

In loving memory of Jacob,  my parents have opened a thrift store in order to help the families of the children who are in the hospital at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama.

They have created “Jacob Christian Ministries Thrift Store”.  Donations of household goods, clothing, shoes, etc will be sold with 100% of the proceeds going to help the families of the children at Children’s Hospital in Jacob’s memory.

Jacob was a blessing to me and my family and in his short time on this Earth I always made it a point to share his story with as many people as I possibly could. Jacob had prayer warriors from all over the world. We were truly blessed to have such wonderful people love our baby through only hearing his story and seeing his pictures on the website.

God laid it upon my parents heart to do this for the other families that are struggling as we did. God said, “ask and you shall receive”……so I am asking on behalf of my parents, my family and all the families who are sitting at Children’s Hospital to please help make this dream a reality to those in need.

If you would like to make any type of donation or know of anyone who may be able to help, please feel free to call my parents, Gary Harper and Alice Harper at (256) 283-3247 or (256) 231-1082 or myself at (256) 310-9290.   

Please remember, “what you may think is trash may be someone else’s treasure”. All donations are accepted.  

Thank you for prayers and support. May you have a blessed day. 


October 22, 2007
Storm damage to the Ministry






November 3, 2007
One step at a time

My parents are using money out of their own pockets to start the building process of the thrift store to house the donations that are being sold in order to donate proceeds to Children's Hospital.  It is going to be a slow process because my parents are both retired and my dad is disabled.  Steve Doss, Shawn, my dad, and Marvin Hanvey started the ground work this past Saturday.  Steve knows all about spending time at Children's Hospital due to having a chronically ill child himself.  He heard about the ministry needing help and he dedicated his time and services on Saturday and plans to continue to help until we one day are able to finally complete the building.  The ministry is in need of donations for the bulding fund.  If you know of anyone who owns a construction company or lumber company who would be wiling to donate to this charitable cause, please notify my parents.  We are not ones to beg for help but we are desparate to get the building built to house the donations.  The storm that came through last month destroyed alot of the donations they had already collected and we do not want that to happen again....it is so heartbreaking.  They are trying so hard to get the ministry on it's feet to help these families but it is hard to do it without your help.

Thank you for your prayers, support and donations.



November 19, 2007
PRAISE REPORT!!!!!

God has answered our prayers and continues to bless the Ministry! God touched the heart of the pastor of Mignon Baptist Church in Sylacauga. Last week he contacted my parents to let them know that he and several men in his church want to donate their time and supplies to build the store for the Ministry. My mom called me at work to tell me the good news and we just cried and cried. This is such a blessing!

Mignon Baptist is building the store in memory of a very special little boy who attended their church. Dylan Kissic, the son of Lisa and Jeremy Kissic and brother of Brady, is the “special angel” who is being honored in the construction of “Jacob Christian Ministries” thrift store.

Dylan was born with a heart defect and fought for two years touching lives all over the world. He had the biggest blue eyes and sweetest smile. He never admitted that he was sick and did not want you to tell him that he was sick. He prayed every night that God would give him a new heart. His prayers were answered May 16, 2006. He went home to be with Jesus while resting in his mommy’s arms. 

In loving Memory of
Dylan Ross Kissic

August 27, 2003- May 16, 2006



He and Jacob are free now from all the wires, tubes and machines. There is no more pain for them. I rejoice in the fact that they are in a much better place than we are. Our families are trying to cope with the huge void that has been left in our lives, especially during the holiday season when this will be the first for me not having Jacob and even though it will be Dylan’s 2nd Christmas in Heaven it is still just as hard on his family. We take it one day at a time and look forward to the day that our boys will come running to us at the Gates of Heaven. Please visit Dylan’s Memorial at www.dylanross.memory-of.com to read of his journey.

The Ministry has not only been a source of assistance for the families at Children’s Hospital, it has also served as a place to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and what He has done in our lives. My parents have had people come to the Ministry a sinner and leave a born again Christian. Several months ago, their neighbor came over to the Ministry and asked my mom and dad to pray with him. He asked Jesus into his heart that day. He went home to be with the Lord last Friday, November 23, 2007. He died of lung cancer. We rejoice in the fact that he is with the Lord now and it all started with the birth of one of God’s Special Angels that was sent here to change lives and bring His people home.

To the members of Mignon Baptist Church,
I cannot begin to tell you what a blessing you are to our family, the Ministry and all the families at Children’s Hospital. Thank you for opening up your hearts and sharing the love of Jesus Christ. We love you. 



Mignon Baptist Church 

Work Day

Update as of February 29, 2008

My parents have been working so hard on finishing the Thrift Store.  They have gotten the roof finished, the siding put on, the doors and windows in and are working so hard to get the inside finished soon so that they can get some of the donations moved into the building.  I am so proud of my parents.  They have worked from daylight to dark on this building for the past few weeks and are totally exhausted and still have so much to do.  They have put their heart and soul into building this ministry so that they can help others.  Please visit them and let them know what a great job they are doing.  Please let everyone you know about the ministry and for them to pass along the word to people they know.  The success of the ministry depends on the donations of the people.  Thank you to everyone for all your help in getting the ministry off the ground, especially Mignon Baptist for their donations in the building of the store. 

We Accept all donations, please call.  Thank you.  Phone:  (256) 238-9232, (256)231-1082 or (256) 283-3247
*****************************************************

The Thrift Store is NOW OPEN!!!

After many long, hard hours of working from daylight to dark, my parents finally opened the thrift store this past Saturday, April 12, 2008.  I am so proud of them and all the hard work they have done along with other friends and family to get this project off the ground.  Please take a look at the pictures below and come visit the thrift store.  We accept all donations.  Children's Hospital needs your help and we cannot do it without your donations.  All proceeds go to the parents of the children at Children's Hospital who are in need of financial help.  Thank you for prayers, support and donations.