Noah's Story
Noah is a typical toddler. He loves to run, climb, slide, play in the dirt, and "drive" daddy's lawn mower. His favorite tv show is Seasame Street, and he adores Elmo. He is very strong-willed, and has been known to throw a tantrum or two! He has always been on track with every aspect of his development, until the beginning of November. I noticed that he acquired a limp on his right side. Several days later John mentioned that Noah had stopped running when he chased him around the house. As we noticed Noah becoming more unstable, falling more often, and walking into walls/doors, worry began to set in. On Monday 11/16 I took him to his pediatrician, suspecting he had an ear infection, which could possibly explain his problems. There was no infection, so we were told to come back in a week if the problems persisted. That Thursday I watched him play with children several months his junior and my heart began to break. He would wobble around the room with his eyes set on a particular toy, but before he could reach it another child would run and scoop it up. The frusteration in his eyes was enough for me to realize something wasn't right. I scheduled an appointment with his doctor for the next day. Friday morning he woke up vomiting, and continued until we came to the doctors office. He was dehydrated so she had him admitted to Huntsville Hospital, and asked them to evaluate his leg also. Through several conversations with nurses and doctors John and I began to realize this was a much bigger problem than a stomach virus and an injured leg.
We thought Noah was going to be left-handed; he was beginning use that hand more and more. His right eye began to turn in slightly. And of course tthere was the issue with his leg not working as well. As we began to look back over the past few weeks we realized our normal, perfectly healthy baby boy had not been himself at all. When the doctor on call couldn't give us any answers she ordered a ct scan of his brain.
You know that "gut-feeling" that something really bad was happening? That's when I got it. I interpret that feeling as the Holy Spirit trying to prepare me for the news that was coming. We waited and waited. The sweet nurse on call, Katie, came in and informed us Noah didn't need to eat or drink anything else. That was all she said. John and I assumed they needed to do an MRI which meant either a) they couldn't get a good read of his brain w/ the ct or b) they were able to read it and it was bad. We waited and waited some more. Family and friends had come and gone, and John, myself, Mimi, and sweet Noah were the ones present when we got the news.
When the doctor pulls up a chair and looks like she's going to cry it's never a good sign. So I was as ready as I could be. "This is not good. The ct scan shows a mass on his brain. We need to get him to birmingham as soon as possible." It was like something from a movie, or an out of body experience. From that moment on, we knew this was out of our control. We are weak, but He is strong, and His strength is made perfect in our weakness. To God be the glory. Noah had his first helicopter ride to Children's Hospital, w/ His angles following close beside.
First Night at Children's - Nov. 21
Upon arrival at Children's we rushed to the PICU to meet our little guy. We spoke w/ one of the surgeons who will partner in Noah's surgery and were shown the ct scan from Huntsville. To be completely transparent - I was terrified. It looked so large, and so scary, and I was just so angry. Talk about emotionally drained. Then we were bombarded w/ questions from lots of different people. It was all really a blur. But I do remember we cried a lot, prayed alot, and John anointed Noah with oil Pastor Steve prayed over and sent with him.
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up (James 5:13-15).
Two of our Friendship brothers drove down and secured us a hotel room (since they kick us out of PICU after 2am) and made sure we had a hot dinner. Talk about walking out your faith and sharing the love of Christ. Even though we were beat up, we were loved on a lot more!
The M.R.I result - John David
Today (Sunday Nov. 22nd) Noah had an extensive M.R.I to look at his brain, brain stem and his spinal cord. What they found was hard to swallow. The Neurosurgeon briefly spoke to us beside Noah's bed about the results, then asked us to follow him to the consultation room. We have never been in that room before - only seen it in the movies. The experience was like being in a dream. We all sat down as the doctor formed his hand into a fist and said, "The tumor in your sons brain is this big. It has pushed the left side of his brain into the right side of his skull." Jessica and I sat speechless as he began to explain the game plan for treatment, extraction, and the risks involved. This tumor has been growing for some time but has taken a more aggressive turn in the last few weeks. This explains why he hasnt been able to walk straight, keep his balance, or use his right hand. The tumor is pressing against his brain in every direction. Thankfully it has not intruded into the brain stem, which is why they are taking such strict precautions to monitor him in the PICU. If his condition gets worse, they will do emergency surgery to relieve the pressure.
Currently, Noah is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday. We have no idea what time. Until then, they are giving him treatments of steroids and other medications to cause the tumor to stop growing and decrease the swelling of the brain.
He is eating more ice cream than what is allowed by law - at this point we could care less about getting what we want in his stomach. If he asks for it, he gets it. : ) He can still use his left hand. He can hold his juice cup and play with our faces. We have laughed a lot, hugged more and kissed constantly. As bad as this situation is, we have had some great quality time together.
We have met some great hospital staff and really like his nurses and doctors. We know that God orchestrated his transport down here and preordained those who are caring for him. We are in awe of Gods perfect timing.
We are so completley overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of love and support from our friends. Words cannot express what your prayers and love have meant to us.
Monday is going to be a long day of waiting; Tuesday will be the hardest day of our life. We know God works all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Noah is His. His life is in Gods hands. We were reminded by good friends Saturday night that the disciples were in the boat in the storm and Jesus was asleep in the boat with them. He didnt bail out and had total faith to make it to the other side - so much so he took a nap during the worst part, when every one else was freaking out. In our storm - Jesus was in the Huntsville Hospital, the helicopter, the PICU and the consultation room. He will be in the O.R. as well. We arent freaking out - but screaming at the storm "Peace be still!"
We thought Noah was going to be left-handed; he was beginning use that hand more and more. His right eye began to turn in slightly. And of course tthere was the issue with his leg not working as well. As we began to look back over the past few weeks we realized our normal, perfectly healthy baby boy had not been himself at all. When the doctor on call couldn't give us any answers she ordered a ct scan of his brain.
You know that "gut-feeling" that something really bad was happening? That's when I got it. I interpret that feeling as the Holy Spirit trying to prepare me for the news that was coming. We waited and waited. The sweet nurse on call, Katie, came in and informed us Noah didn't need to eat or drink anything else. That was all she said. John and I assumed they needed to do an MRI which meant either a) they couldn't get a good read of his brain w/ the ct or b) they were able to read it and it was bad. We waited and waited some more. Family and friends had come and gone, and John, myself, Mimi, and sweet Noah were the ones present when we got the news.
When the doctor pulls up a chair and looks like she's going to cry it's never a good sign. So I was as ready as I could be. "This is not good. The ct scan shows a mass on his brain. We need to get him to birmingham as soon as possible." It was like something from a movie, or an out of body experience. From that moment on, we knew this was out of our control. We are weak, but He is strong, and His strength is made perfect in our weakness. To God be the glory. Noah had his first helicopter ride to Children's Hospital, w/ His angles following close beside.
First Night at Children's - Nov. 21
Upon arrival at Children's we rushed to the PICU to meet our little guy. We spoke w/ one of the surgeons who will partner in Noah's surgery and were shown the ct scan from Huntsville. To be completely transparent - I was terrified. It looked so large, and so scary, and I was just so angry. Talk about emotionally drained. Then we were bombarded w/ questions from lots of different people. It was all really a blur. But I do remember we cried a lot, prayed alot, and John anointed Noah with oil Pastor Steve prayed over and sent with him.
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up (James 5:13-15).
Two of our Friendship brothers drove down and secured us a hotel room (since they kick us out of PICU after 2am) and made sure we had a hot dinner. Talk about walking out your faith and sharing the love of Christ. Even though we were beat up, we were loved on a lot more!
The M.R.I result - John David
Today (Sunday Nov. 22nd) Noah had an extensive M.R.I to look at his brain, brain stem and his spinal cord. What they found was hard to swallow. The Neurosurgeon briefly spoke to us beside Noah's bed about the results, then asked us to follow him to the consultation room. We have never been in that room before - only seen it in the movies. The experience was like being in a dream. We all sat down as the doctor formed his hand into a fist and said, "The tumor in your sons brain is this big. It has pushed the left side of his brain into the right side of his skull." Jessica and I sat speechless as he began to explain the game plan for treatment, extraction, and the risks involved. This tumor has been growing for some time but has taken a more aggressive turn in the last few weeks. This explains why he hasnt been able to walk straight, keep his balance, or use his right hand. The tumor is pressing against his brain in every direction. Thankfully it has not intruded into the brain stem, which is why they are taking such strict precautions to monitor him in the PICU. If his condition gets worse, they will do emergency surgery to relieve the pressure.
Currently, Noah is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday. We have no idea what time. Until then, they are giving him treatments of steroids and other medications to cause the tumor to stop growing and decrease the swelling of the brain.
He is eating more ice cream than what is allowed by law - at this point we could care less about getting what we want in his stomach. If he asks for it, he gets it. : ) He can still use his left hand. He can hold his juice cup and play with our faces. We have laughed a lot, hugged more and kissed constantly. As bad as this situation is, we have had some great quality time together.
We have met some great hospital staff and really like his nurses and doctors. We know that God orchestrated his transport down here and preordained those who are caring for him. We are in awe of Gods perfect timing.
We are so completley overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of love and support from our friends. Words cannot express what your prayers and love have meant to us.
Monday is going to be a long day of waiting; Tuesday will be the hardest day of our life. We know God works all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Noah is His. His life is in Gods hands. We were reminded by good friends Saturday night that the disciples were in the boat in the storm and Jesus was asleep in the boat with them. He didnt bail out and had total faith to make it to the other side - so much so he took a nap during the worst part, when every one else was freaking out. In our storm - Jesus was in the Huntsville Hospital, the helicopter, the PICU and the consultation room. He will be in the O.R. as well. We arent freaking out - but screaming at the storm "Peace be still!"