John is on his way down to Birmingham after service this morning and Noah is sleeping. He is doing well- no mouth sores, decent appetite, drinking pretty good, no more fever - but his counts are continuing to drop, so he will probably need some blood and platelets tomorrow. Hopefully after that his blood levels/ANC will begin to rise so we can head home. Thank you for your prayers!
It is about 2:45 am and I'm just getting settled into my chair-bed in room 451. My mom and Noah are already asleep, but the control freak in me had to get everything organized and put away in the designated drawers and cabinets in our room before my mind could rest. We arrived at Children's ER at 10:30 pm and hung out there until 1:30, when our room was ready. Noah has been neutropenic since Thursday, so we've been expecting a fever to show up at any time; it came around 9 pm. Thus far he has been given some antibiotics, had blood taken for lab testing, and is/will be getting IV fluids...so I'll be changing diapers about every 2 hours. :( He hasn't been drinking very well the past couple of days, so he could be developing some mouth sores. Never sure how long this stint will last...from past experience I expect to be here 4-6 days. With many prayers and much faith in a quick healing, hopefully we will be home much sooner. Although I can't complain about this at all - I've been following the blog of a young woman from the Huntsville area with Burkitts Lymphoma who has been in the hospital for 25 days following her chemo treatments; she just returned home yesterday. You can read her story and send her words of encouragement on her webpage here. God is good, and in a few hours our church will open it's doors for another fundraiser for Noah, as well as a few FUMC ministries. John stayed behind in Athens so he could be a part of this special event...please know I would be there if I could. I can't wait to hear about it from him this afternoon. I get emotional thinking about how many people are lifting us up in prayer and standing with us and "holding up our arms" when we are weak. I have never experienced the love of Christ like I am experiencing it now through my brothers and sisters in Him...thank you. And now I really need some sleep! :) My attempt at a thank you..."Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 'Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.'" Mark 9:36-37
I don't have words to express my gratitude...I am so humbled by and indebted to my community for the gifts you've given, the blood you've donated, and the prayers you've lifted up for us. I am perpetually moved by the compassion and sacrifices made...I've never experienced the love of Christ like I have through this situation with Noah. I wept tears of joy and thanksgiving when I saw the pictures from this morning's fundraiser. You have given gifts, you have given blood, and you have lifted us up in prayer...and I thank God for you daily. Thank you for serving and honoring the Lord by loving on Noah - he would throw you a kiss and give a big hug if he could. Much love from an overwhelmed and thankful mother. Yesterday was Noah's 2nd birthday. When he woke up I said to him, "Happy Birthday! Today is your REAL birthday, even though we had your party last week. You're 2!" He replied, "Me eat cake and ice cream?" So I asked my mom to pick up another cake for him and drop it by on her way to church. We had another party with Noah, Mommy & Daddy, which was a lot of fun - especially since Daddy was determined to get him the ultimate little boy birthday gift, which I will post pictures of above this blog. The day Noah was born, I had no idea what his life would bring to mine and John's. Even though he looked like a really wrinkly, skinny old guy, he was the most beautiful, sweet thing to me. Two years later he has less hair than he had at birth, and a ginormous scar on his head, and he's still the most handsome, sweetest little man ever. :) I never thought I would be so thankful to the Lord for Noah's 2nd birthday. But for the past week, every night he lays down his head and every morning he rises I give thanks for this child that almost didn't see 2. I think about what I would have missed had the tumor overcome him - his laugh, his smile, his sense of humor, his joy, his screams, his tantrums, his resilience. He's my miracle. I forgot to let everyone know that we returned home on Friday (2/26). We will have Noah's blood tested tomorrow and Thursday, and we expect to be back in Birmingham by the weekend for fever/neutropenia. It seems that Noah has had less side effects since this last treatment; he is eating better and has been more active compared to the first few days following the previous treatments. It would be awesome if he didn't run a fever and we could take our time getting him to Birmingham for blood/platelet infusions (which are pretty much inevitable), because once his temperature starts rising we're told it's a very risky situation and he needs antibiotics asap. So we're taking precautions and praying against anything that could cause fever (while monitoring him very closely) and hoping for a leisurely, worry-free trip to Birmingham instead of a ride in an ambulance. This weekend is the Pancake Breakfast at our church, where the men's ministry will be trying to raise money to help with Noah's medical costs. There will also be a blood drive in Noah's honor. If you happen to be at the breakfast, please give blood as well. And wherever you live, if you're able, please donate your blood! I was led to give blood for the first time about a year ago, and though uncomfortable it was rewarding to know that I was quite possibly giving someone else life. I've read that the cancer population really depletes the donated blood supply. My son has already had 3 transfusions, the first one more than his entire blood volume. Each time we stay at Children's, the hematology/oncology floor is filled with patients of all blood types who need your healthy blood. The next time you see a Red Cross "blood bus," please don't pass it by - give! :) Once again, I have to close by saying "Thank you!!" to everyone who has helped us in whatever way you can. Without your support system, we could not survive the day to day stresses of the situation. I'm happy and grateful to say that with each medical bill/pharmacy bill that comes, we have been able to simply write a check and not think twice about it. Thank you for your blessings. Tiny little guy at birth...
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AuthorThese posts are written by Noah's parents Jessica & John David Crowe. The default author is Jess, and those written by John David will be noted. Archives
August 2014
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