Emily in Texarkana: A Hero and a Friend

By Emily Gammon

photo by shane darby.

As you move into womanhood, choosing an OB-GYN is a daunting rite of passage. It’s a highly personal and vulnerable decision, and you need someone you can trust and feel comfortable sharing the most intimate details of your life with. For me, choosing Dr. Tom Wilson was a no-brainer—there was never even another option considered.

His name has been a household staple for what seems like most of my life. When I was 12, my mom hadn’t routinely gone for a Pap smear in several years—I mean, a pipe cleaner to the cervix is not really something anyone gets excited to schedule, and if you’re not having issues, it can easily get moved to the “do it later” list. But after her business partner, Karen Reavis, went in one day for a checkup with Dr. Wilson, she urged my mom to go have hers done, too. It wasn’t uncommon for one to encourage the other to do something like this, because they were best friends, but I can tell you that going to the OB-GYN is not something that turns up in my daily conversations. But what a blessing it was. (So check in with your friends, ladies!)

At that visit, Dr. Wilson discovered my mom had cervical cancer—and by doing so, he saved her life. I don’t remember a lot from this time besides being scared and anxious about the worst-case scenario. Dr. Wilson referred my mom to the Margot Perot Center in Dallas, where she underwent a radical hysterectomy. I do remember the excruciating recovery; nothing ever keeps my mom down, but she spent the better part of eight weeks on the couch, resting, healing, and regaining strength.

I have always felt indebted to Dr. Wilson for being diligent and making sure that scared 12-year-old little girl didn’t lose her mom.

Fast forward to 2017: I was pregnant with my first child, and Dr. Wilson walked alongside me through the whole process. In late 2018, he walked with us through a miscarriage. A year later, he cared for me again and delivered our second son. Then, at my choice, we went through surgery together as he performed a tubal ligation. Three years later, I had that surgery reversed by a specialist in New Orleans. So, in 2022, when I showed up pregnant again, Dr. Wilson just peered at me over his glasses! If you know Doc, then you know the exact look I received. In 2023, he successfully delivered our third son. And, for the grand finale, he walked with us as I carried Jane Kate and delivered in April of this year. 

That Dr. Wilson has delivered all four of my babies is so sacred to me. In the many office visits through the years, I’ve grown to trust his advice and appreciate any and all wisdom he shares, medical or otherwise. He is a brilliant doctor, a great family man, and adored by everyone who knows him. 

Dr. Wilson delivered all four of Emily’s children and saved both her life and the life of her mother, Peggy. photo by shane darby.

When my last delivery turned into a day of touch-and-go decisions, Dr. Wilson stayed consistent. He prepared me that, based on the needs of our baby, we might have to have an emergency C-section, but that we had some time to watch and see. When the time came, I was able to successfully push our little girl into the world in less than two minutes. She had a nuchal cord (the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck) and a velamentous cord insertion (her cord had barely attached to the placenta—a rare condition that can result in late term stillbirth). But the Lord protected her, and despite all of that, she was healthy and perfect in every way. My miracle baby. We left the hospital the next day, ready to get life started with our new family of six. 

Immediately, we were settling in and busy meeting the scheduling demands of our other three children. When you’re #4, you’re just along for the ride. I felt great! But at nine days postpartum, I developed a low-grade fever. Later in the day, I became concerned when I couldn’t remember things I was saying and felt disoriented.

I decided to go to the emergency room, where they kept me on IV antibiotics until Dr. Wilson could see me the next day. Monday morning, I went to his office for an exam and began to hemorrhage all over his office floor. It was an embarrassing, terrifying, shocking experience. And more concerning, the blood smelled like something was dying. As it turns out, something was dying—it was me.

Dr. Wilson came back to the room where I’m bawling, and he never acted flustered or like he could smell a thing. A man of few words, sipping his coffee out of a coffee stirrer, all he said was, “That changes things.” So on that Monday morning, he sacrificed his lunch hour and scheduled a D&C procedure for the retained placenta (part of my placenta had apparently not been delivered), and that was that. At this point, I wasn’t worried at all. It was just going to be a quick outpatient procedure. I was laughing and joking all the way to the operating room, in true Emily fashion.

Hours later, I woke up and immediately knew something was wrong. It had taken way too long, I was in immense pain, and the nurses couldn’t give me any answers. 

Dr. Wilson wanted to tell me himself.

During surgery, I began to bleed out. So in order to save my life, they had to cut me open and perform an emergency hysterectomy. My body had lost a lot of blood and was full of infection. I now had a six-inch incision and 15 staples across my abdomen, and my beautiful, 10-day-old little girl would be my last baby. 

Emily and Joey held hands and shared a quiet moment together after receiving the news of Emily’s emergency hysterectomy. submitted photo.

The emotions and shock were heavy, but at the same time, I knew Dr. Wilson had saved my life. 

Nearly 20 years apart, his wisdom, decision making, and attention to detail had now saved both my mom and me.

Holding her “miracle girl” after finding out she would never give birth again was “the most healing thing”  for Emily, she said. submitted photo.

Dr. Wilson will always be more than an OB-GYN to me. He will be a hero and a friend. Maybe we are trauma-bonded forever, but it’s not lost on me that if he had made one different decision on my behalf, I could have lost my little girl or not even be here to write this article today. 

Dr. Wilson making rounds and checking on Emily’s recovery progress. submitted photo.

His job has, I imagine, come with many sacrifices. He is always on-call, whether in person or by phone. His family has had to make lifelong sacrifices for him to be available to everyone else as well. He’s delivered well over 15,000 babies in his 40+ years of service, and I am so proud to tell everyone that my four are included in that number!

Emily finally headed home after a five-day hospital stay. submitted photo.

This Women’s Health Month, I encourage you—go for that check up you’ve been putting off. Have the dreaded Pap smear and mammogram done; it takes longer to schedule the appointment than the actual procedures. Who knows? It could save your life.

And if you need someone to guide you and walk with you through these things, Dr. Tom Wilson is the best of the best. Tell him I sent you.