December 19th, 2011

   December started off with a huge bang for our family. Our Trip to Orlando was such a blessing. Noah wanted to stay there 'all the time'. He told us every day at every park. We want to thank all of you who helped make this trip a possibility. He really had a great time full of laughs, smiles, great food, fun rides and plenty of new toys!
     We haven't posted a new bog since getting back and apologize to all of you who have checked in regularly. We needed some time to make some important decisions concerning Noah's treatment. On the way back from Florida, Jessica and I had a very long talk about what we wanted to do. We discussed every painful option and their potential consequences. We decided that as long as there was even a 1% chance something would work, it was worth trying. Some parents don't get the 1% chance, we feel fortunate we have it.
      We called his neurosurgeon that day on the drive back and set a date for the surgery for December 21st. A few days later, Jessica received a call from his nurse informing us that since there were such big risks involved in this surgery, he wanted to postpone it until after Christmas. He wanted us to have the holiday with Noah and try to enjoy it. This shook us up a bit. We wrestle with the fear that this is the last Christmas we will have with him. 
      We met today with his neurosurgeon, Dr. John Wellons at Children's hospital to discuss everything about the surgery option. Noah has already been through two very serious brain surgeries to remove this tumor. From what we have been told by our doctors - this is the last option he has. The tumor attacking Noah is best treated by complete resection. In this surgery, his doctor will not only remove the tumor he can see, he will also cut into the good brain tissue that is underneath and surrounding, tissue that could very well control Noah's functions of speech and movement on the right side of his body. There is a small chance of morbidity - the loss of control of key organs which will hasten death and a chance of stroke or worse. The chance this surgery will get every last cancer cell is very small - but it is still a chance.
      Because Noah has already been through two surgeries and can still walk and talk, his doctor believes his brain has compensated for the damage the tumor has caused and he feels strongly that his motor and speech functions are on the right side of his brain. He is optimistic and we are very hopeful that this surgery will not change him in any way. 
      Due to the rapid growth of the tumor, we are unsure how much time we have. Noah will have a CT Scan early tomorrow morning (Dec. 20th). Noah currently is scheduled for surgery on January 10th. The CT Scan will show us if he can make it until then. If the scan shows that the tumor is too large and Noah is out of time, we are going into the hospital tomorrow for prep and will have the surgery Wednesday (Dec. 21st). If there is still some room for the tumor to grow, Noah will stay home for Christmas & we will wait until January 9th to be admitted, have a MRI and prep for surgery on the 10th.
      Jessica and I are trying our best to be strong, to find the joy in life - in the blessing of the moment we are in right now. We are not sure how this is going to turn out. We haven't lost our hope yet, We know that with God all things are possible. He ultimately is Noah's great physician - Noah is in good hands.
    Please continue to pray for a miracle. Honestly, I didn't think our story would get this far. I hoped the pathology report would come back benign. I hoped every MRI would show no growth, I hoped every surgery & radiation and every drop of chemo would do something to put an end to this horrible monster called cancer. 
    I have some hope left that God still waits until man cannot be credited with any success. He did it at the Red sea, Gideon's army, the wall of Jericho, the woman with the issue of blood, the Centurion's servant, Jairus daughter and dead Lazarus. 
    He can do it for a three year old boy that doctors have said will not make it.

Pass it on

Pray for Noah