How good is the view from the Guy residence?
“You can see all fifty states from here,” says Jim Guy with a grin.
He admits that’s a dad joke. But that doesn’t mean it’s not true.
The Dahlonega driveway of the home of Jim and Nicole Guy has a colorfully painted map of the United States in front of their garage. It serves not only as an eye-catching parking pad, but a super-sized flash card for their nine year old son. As far as learning tools go, it’s been quite effective since Beau Guy has been able to name all of the state capitals since he was in kindergarten.
Jim, who teaches American Government at Dawson County Junior High School, decided to paint the map just before quarantine in early 2020 since he figured it was a good alternative to the iPad.
Meanwhile, the energetic Lumpkin County Elementary School third grader is eager to show his skills on the map. He starts off with a relatively easy North Dakota shot, situated just below the rim.
“Bismarck,” he says coolly as he clangs one in from five feet out.
Then he heads to Maine with growing enthusiasm.
“Augusta!” he says as he tosses in a 15-footer.
Then he heads south for a much more difficult shot.
“Tallahassee!” he shouts as he nets a cross-country shot from the sunshine state.
“Oh swish!” says Jim.
It’s an impressive display of geography-based b-ball. And it’s made all the more impressive when taking into account what Beau has already overcome at his young age.
“He’s a true miracle,” said Jim as he looks at his son, brimming with energy and bounding around the court.
FOUNDATION OF FAITH
James Schambeau “Beau” Guy was born on September 24, 2013 with alarmingly low oxygen levels. It was the first clue that he suffered from a heart disease known as tetralogy of fallot.
Instead of getting to cuddle with his mom and dad, he was rushed to the airport.
“He was life flighted through a thunderstorm from Florida to UAB [Hospital in Alabama] to a NICU immediately after his birth,” states Jim. “… He spent the first 10 days of his young life in the NICU at UAB then had open heart surgery at two months of age at CHOA at Emory.”
It goes without saying that it was a trying time for the Guys.
“Handing over our sweet baby that seemed perfectly healthy on the outside to be cut open and his strawberry sized heart cut open was the most difficult thing we have ever done,” wrote Jim and Nicole as they relayed their story to The Nugget.
However, tiny baby Beau had a fighting spirit from his earliest days. At the age of one he underwent an additional surgery as he received a pulmonary stent.
“So he’s an Iron Man too,” says Jim.
During those stressful days, the Guys held fast to their faith.
“That was already the foundation of our life,” states Nicole, an LCES first grade teacher. “We had a wonderful support system of friends and family. We also leaned on each other as a couple and tried to give each other a lot of grace.”
The Guys are sharing their story in case there are others who are finding themselves in similar situations. Nicole wants families to know that there’s help out there.
“Don’t isolate yourself,” she says. “Realize that you are not alone and that there is a whole network of people who want to help you.”
Nicole also wants to stress the importance of “advocating for your child when you know something is off.”
She says she found crucial connections in a Facebook group called Georgia Heart Moms where she received advice that helped her get her recovering baby back to nursing after he was sent home from surgery with a feeding tube in place. A few years later she able to help another mother who was struggling with the same challenge.
“That’s what it’s all about,” she says. “Everyone has a testimony and we are all meant to connect and pass the torch to each other. Though Beau’s given name is derived from a family name, its true meaning in English comes from the French word for beautiful and that is how we view our son. We teach him to shine his light daily, as the Good Book teaches, and we feel blessed to be his parents.”
TRUE PROVIDENCE
An additional surgery will be needed when Beau gets older, but for now he can just focus on being a kid.
And he’s a kid who loves school, soccer, Formula One racing, music, performing on stage, basketball and Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors. He’s also travelled to more than 30 states already, which helps with his geographical knowledge.
Occasionally Beau is a teaching assistant to Jim who has brought this son in to his classroom in order to provide some extra motivation to his much older students.
Meanwhile, the pick-up game/state capital quiz continues in the Guy driveway.
“Providence!” Beau shouts as he pops a shot from Rhode Island, followed by a swish.
“And one!” he adds.
All the while Jim and Nicole smile as they watch their happy, healthy son sprint across the court, clearly enjoying the view.