St. Jude patient Cooper’s sea turtle artwork shimmers with life on Carnival Cruise Line ship

Nikki and Lonny Chapman, with their older son Eli, moved through the bustling corridors of the Carnival Cruise Line, their steps purposeful, their eyes scanning for the elevators on the main deck. They were not only vacationers on a cruise, but a family on a pilgrimage, seeking a connection to their son, Cooper, who had left them too soon.

“We felt like we needed to be here,” Cooper’s mom, Nikki, said, her voice a blend of determination and tenderness. “Just so we could see his art.”

Cooper, a patient of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, had died from cancer in 2021 at the age of 12. Yet, his presence was palpable in the shimmering sea turtle artwork that now graced the ship. 

When the family stood before it, the moment was charged with emotion. “We remembered the day Cooper sat with his dad at St. Jude, painting those sea turtles,” Nikki said. 

Cooper’s painting, interpreted with sequins, shimmered with life. Carnival ships feature artwork from St. Jude patients, celebrating the creativity and spirit of all St. Jude kids. 

“Knowing Carnival didn’t forget Cooper meant so much to our family,” Nikki said.

Sea turtles

At age 7, Cooper became captivated by sea turtles after watching a video about a sea turtle hospital in Marathon, Florida. These venerable creatures became the heart of family conversations.

He peppered his family with questions: Did they know sea turtles are among the oldest creatures on Earth? Did they realize sometimes sea turtles get injured and go to the hospital where a flipper might be amputated? But it was OK, he assured them, because even with just three flippers, the sea turtles could return to the sea and live a good life.

For a hands-on kid like Cooper, a video wasn’t enough. He wanted to be with the sea turtles. 

Could they visit the sea turtle hospital in Marathon? Could they go?  

Cooper was always leading them to new places, pushing them past what was comfortable or known. Always on a bold mission.

So, the family of four from Indiana embarked on a journey to the Florida Keys, led by a 7-year-old boy, to spend time with the ancient mariners and contribute to conservation efforts. “Cooper loved it,” Nikki said.

Cancer was still two years on the horizon. If there’s a lesson here, it’s this: Seize the day. Take the big trip.

Cooper’s Army

In early 2018, while cheering on friends at a basketball game, Cooper’s dad, Lonny, felt a strange hardness in Cooper’s right arm, a discovery that would soon alter their lives.

“I was just kind of being goofy, and I grabbed both of his arms and was using his arms to cheer, and I noticed one arm was solid and one was not,” Lonny said.

There were no complaints of pain from Cooper, no visible signs, just a father’s intuition something was not right.

The 9-year-old underwent tests. Cooper was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer of the soft tissues. The cancer had already spread from Cooper’s right arm to his lymph nodes, pancreas and spine. Standard treatments provided little hope. The family obtained a referral to St. Jude in Memphis, Tennessee, so Cooper could join a clinical trial. 

At St. Jude, Cooper began a treatment plan of chemotherapy and proton beam radiotherapy.

His parents created an online group called Cooper’s Army to share health updates with family and friends. They even designed a logo featuring a turtle shell as a shield — Cooper’s protection against all challenges.

In the St. Jude mailroom, care packages for Cooper with sea turtle stuffed animals flooded in from loved ones. Cooper had once protected the sea turtles, and now here they were at St. Jude, protecting him.

Happy place

Cooper’s learning was kinetic and hands-on, rarely confined to a school desk. Despite the challenges of dyslexia and dysgraphia, he excelled in his own unique ways. He loved playing soccer. He loved building Lego bricks with Eli almost as much as he loved destroying them in military battles or Star Wars scenes. His curiosity led him to seek out online videos by scientists such as Mark Rober or wade knee-deep into mud just to get a better look at a bug.

“He was all boy, liked bugs and frogs, and maybe not so much snakes, but mud,” Nikki said. “He just loved being outside and was very nature-oriented, loving to be a mess pretty much all the time.”

St. Jude became a realm of discovery, where he could see his tumor under a microscope and learn about radiation from an engineer.

“St. Jude, as a whole, was just amazing at making sure he was as comfortable as possible,” Nikki said.

On Cooper’s first day as an inpatient at St. Jude, his nurse, seemingly casually, asked his favorite meal. Pork chops and broccoli, he replied. Later, the cafeteria called to ask how Cooper wanted his pork chops seasoned. They were speaking Cooper’s language. “He called cooking ‘science,’ and he loved science,” Lonny said. “Cooking and baking, you mix the ingredients, add energy and you come out with something different.” 

Back home, Cooper concocted spicy seasonings from whatever was in the pantry. At St. Jude, Cooper explained to the chef that he liked his porkchops, as Nikki put it, “with a little bit of a kick.”

“They went out and bought pork chops and broccoli for him that evening,” Lonny said, and seasoned them just the way Cooper liked it.

“St. Jude was his safe place. It was his happy place,” Nikki said. “The staff had become our family.”

Cooper later took cooking classes at St. Jude.

His love for food often intertwined with his mischievous streak. He had a playful pact with a St. Jude cafeteria worker on the salad line who would sneak jalapeño peppers into Lonny’s salad, ensuring a fiery surprise with each bite.

Cooper bonded with five other boys in St. Jude housing, and their families all became best friends. The boys called themselves “Battle Buddies,” and they would gather to play. When one child wasn’t feeling well, the others would stop everything to offer support, until they were all ready to play again.

“I’ve told many people that if everyone could see all the love given at St. Jude at one point in our life, the world would be a much better place,” Lonny said. 

A true partner

Carnival Cruise Line employees hosted an art party at St. Jude, with tables arrayed with canvas boards and art supplies. Cooper, seated with Lonny, immersed himself in the creative process.

Carnival made Cooper think of the ocean and sea turtles. So, he squished his hands in green paint and pressed his palms upside down on the canvas board. This became the bodies and flippers of two sea turtles. He painted heads for the sea turtles, blue water all around them and a sandy ocean floor. 

Carnival has supported St. Jude families since their partnership began in 2010. The collaboration has raised more than $33 million for St. Jude, with a goal to reach $50 million by 2030. Onboard events such as “Groove for St. Jude” invite passengers to participate in fun activities while making donations to the hospital.

When Cooper was a patient, Carnival Cruise Line also brought joy directly to the patients of St. Jude by hosting events like the art party.  

The event gave Cooper and Lonny a happy diversion during a day of clinical appointments.

Near the end of Cooper’s life, Nikki and Lonny learned Cooper’s sea turtle artwork would become part of the Carnival Mardi Gras ship, sailing on all its voyages.

Remembering Cooper

During Cooper’s treatment, he and his brother Eli longed for a dog. They got a beagle pit shelter puppy and named him Bo. Soon after, a family friend gifted them a border doodle puppy, which they named Memphis after the city where St. Jude stands. 

Nikki said that Memphis brings comfort with his uncanny similarities to Cooper.

“He’s got these brown eyes that are very human-like,” Nikki said. “Whenever it rains, the first thing he wants to do is go out to the ditch and get muddy. Or when I’m cooking, he’ll stand in the corner, just like Cooper did.”

Cooper’s parents believe St. Jude gave Cooper three additional good years he wouldn’t have otherwise had. “St. Jude gave us the gift of time,” Nikki said.

In gratitude, they’re paying it forward in the bold, hands-on style of Cooper.

They speak on behalf of St. Jude, hold Lego drives for St. Jude kids and mentor bereaved families.

“It’s given me people to talk to,” Eli said. “I love sharing Cooper’s journey.”

The Carnival cruise was an unforgettable voyage.

“They were just so cognizant of Cooper and St. Jude,” Nikki said. “It was so cool.”

The family was treated with exceptional care, thanks to their Carnival “fairy godmother,” who meticulously planned their trip, especially for Eli’s 18th birthday.

The cruise director arranged for Eli to DJ at one of the clubs, a dream come true. Thoughtful gestures were abundant. The family enjoyed special tours of the ship, including the engineering room and the bridge. “Cooper would have loved that,” Lonny said. They had a private dinner with the ship’s captain and directors, who took photos with them and Cooper’s artwork.

As a side jaunt, they snorkeled with sea turtles.

Nikki said it felt like Cooper was there.

“His story is not over,” Nikki said. “We want every opportunity we can to push his legacy forward. Because that’s how he lives on.”