Every time we go to clinic, Callen is tagged with a new patient ID band. As the freshly-minted bracelet is secured around his tiny wrist, it is read aloud for verification: patient name, birthdate, medical record number. The band is read and reread umpteen times each visit: every bodily substance withdrawn, therapy infused or procedure performed is predicated upon that name, those numbers.
When meeting Callen for the first time, nearly everyone mispronounces his name. No matter his state of health, disposition or level of consciousness at that particular moment, Callen will set them straight: “It’s CÁL-ən”, he’ll say emphatically. Then, for clarification he will spell it out for them in a most perfunctory manner, with just a hint of exasperation as only a 4 year-old can do: “C-A-L-L-E-N”.
Callen is right to ensure that his name is given its due respect.
James Callen Cooke is a legend in the Tyson family, and in some ways its patriarch. Callen’s paternal grandfather, Donald Joseph Tyson, was just 6 years old when his father died, and 16 years old when his mother’s death left him and two minor siblings orphans. James Callen Cooke was their uncle by marriage, a man supporting his own family of six children - as well as his parents - on a salary of $12 per week during the Great Depression. Rather than see Donald, his brother Billy and his sister Alice divided up, Uncle Jimmy added these three to his already expansive brood. Despite tremendous personal, familial and economic hardship, he made what was his, theirs, and kept a family united. Donald Tyson vowed that any future son of his would bear this man’s great name. So it was that his fifth of six children, his first son, came to be James Callen Tyson.
Proud homage has been paid to James Callen Cooke over the ensuing seventy years and four generations. Great and great-great nieces and nephews are proud to explain the heritage of their unique and meaningful middle name. When James Callen and I learned that we were to have a son, it seemed only fitting to carry on with tradition: on November 27, 2009, Callen Joseph Tyson was born.
While I knew his name’s pedigree, I became curious as to its etymology. At the time I was pregnant, Callen was not an entry in any baby name book I consulted. A quick Google search was all it took: Callen is of Gaelic origin and means “Brave Little Battler; Little Battle Chief; Little Warrior; Rock”. It seemed a tad intense and speculative at the time.
Little did I know.
This past Saturday, our brave little warrior sat atop his father’s shoulders and looked out over a crowd of thousands gathered for the 9th Annual ASK Fun Walk and 5K. Hundreds of our friends, family members, co-workers, patients and heretofore strangers wore their Team Callen T-shirts. While he recognized relatively few faces in the crowd, he could see and hear his name everywhere, C-A-L-L-E-N, and knew it had a little something to do with him.
Like his forefather, Callen is an impetus for unity during a life-altering circumstance. At a time full of heartache, he is forging bonds where they didn’t previously exist, and strengthening those that already did. He reminds us that whatever our cause, struggle or condition– be it privately held or emblazoned on our chest – we need not succumb to its inherent divisiveness.
What we all witnessed that beautiful bittersweet morning was our collective son, living up to his name.
