There’s a good chance that you’ve never heard of Kurt von Goetz. Don’t feel sad, though. There’s also a good reason you haven’t heard of him: it’s because he doesn’t exist! But he almost did, and it has to do with my very first Side Street turn. Let’s talk about it.

I was what is known as an Rh baby. Now this isn’t a science blog, so I’ll try to explain it simply. The Rhesis factor is a protein on the outside of your blood cells. If your blood type is “positive” you have the protein; if negative you don’t. Simple, right?

So why does it matter? Well, if you’re negative woman and you’re pregnant with a fetus that’s positive, your body doesn’t like that. It sees that protein in the fetus as a foreign material that needs to be removed. Your immune system creates antibodies to attack the perceived threat. Still with me?

During the first “incompatible” pregnancy, problems are rare, because the mother’s body is basically in the process of creating the antibodies. Simply put the defense system isn’t in place yet. But oh, that second pregnancy – and each subsequent incompatible one!

So what does this have to do with Kurt von Goetz? Just this: my parents were at something of an impasse in the naming of their second child, namely me. Mom wanted a Gordon Gregory Junior; Dad didn’t. He was intent on using other family names and wanted me to be Kurt Otto. My mom, if you haven’t guessed yet, was O-negative and I, of course, was O-positive. Cue the Rh issue.

I was born more than six weeks early and drastically underweight (like, a little over 2 pounds!). The doctors were certain that I was going to die, and asked my Catholic parents what name they would christen me with in the moment (a Catholic tradition in cases like this).

In this strange turn of events, their naming impasse was solved. They would name me Gordon Jr and save Kurt for the next son. Had that been my name, I stated as a teen, I would upon reaching adulthood change my last name back to the original German, “von Goetz.”

Would my life be different with that name? The world will never know, but here’s what I do know: the God of heaven knew I would survive. He knew my all of my days before there was as yet one of them (Psalm 139:16), and He knows yours, too.

Until the next turn,

Gordon (not Kurt)