Noah is going to be discharged later this afternoon! He is going to be able to rest and recover from the comfort of his own home. After 35 days in the hospital he has mixed feelings about coming home. It will be not only physically draining but emotionally as well. We hope to post some pictures and another update once Noah is settled at home. We are so appreciative of all of your prayers and we have much to be thankful for this year!

4 Week Update

Noah has been transferred out of the Trama ICU and is on a pediatric floor. All of his IVs and tubes have been removed. He is eating pureed foods and depending on his facial fractures and especially his jaw fractures the doctors will determine how soon he can start on other foods. The main concern is his neck now. His scans have been sent to DuPont Hospital to the doctor who did his spinal surgery. He is going to decide if Noah needs to have a neck surgery or not. His neck is causing him a lot of pain and he is basically in the waiting stage to see what is next. Noah has a depressed C1 fracture, a C3 compression fracture, C4 endplate fracture and a widening at the occipital joint.
About a week ago the doctors told us they wanted him to go to an inpatient rehab facility instead of coming home. My parents looked into it and talked to the representative and it was decided that he wasn't a good candidate. He wouldn't be able to do as much physical therapy as they require and cognitively Noah seems to be exactly where he was before the accident. Everything is falling into place and he is healing everyday. We are amazed! Thank you again for the prayers on Noah's behalf, we tell him of them daily and I know he is comforted.

ANOTHER MIRACLE!

If there is anybody who doesn't believe in miracles come talk to our family!!! On October 18, Noah fell from his wheelchair and was airlifted to Cooper hospital, trauma doctors and neurosurgeons were not confident that he would survive the night. 17 days later we are confident that Noah will make a full recovery. Earlier this morning Noah was doing well enough with his breathing for all of the tubes to be removed! For a couple hours now, Noah has been breathing on his own!!! He still has a long way to go with his many broken bones and severe neck fractures but with your continued prayers, we have faith that Noah will be restored to his previous health! 


We are feeling so incredibly blessed and thank you all for your prayers and fasts on behalf of Noah and our family! Noah is still in the TRAMA ICU and the visiting hours are limited and strict for obvious reasons. If you are interested in visiting please contact someone in the family before to make sure it will be a good day or time. We have talked to Noah and he is on board for a few visitors but can only take 10 minute visits(we know that isn't long but as he gets better he will be able to visit longer and of course we all want what is best for his recovery). He is dealing with a lot right now and since he has been able to talk to us we know how severe his pain really is. Visiting hours are 9-10am and 1-5pm. Once he is moved out of the Trama ICU he will most likely be feeling up for more visitors and they probably won't be as strict. We will continue to keep you updated :) 

2 Week Update on Noah

Hello everyone,

Today marks two weeks since the accident and Noah is still in the Trama ICU. The most important thing he is working on is being able to breathe on his own without the ventilator. He has been off it about a day now and only receiving pressure support. This is the longest he has been able to breathe with this amount of help and everyone is pleased! Unfortunately this doesn't allow him to have the tubes removed yet. He needs to show he is strong enough over a period of time. Noah can't wait to get all the tubes taken out and we think it will be a quicker recovery when they can come out. The doctors remind us it feels like he is breathing through a straw-I can't imagine how uncomfortable that feels.
 

 

We made Noah a sheet with the alphabet on it and he spells out his needs and thoughts by pointing to the letters. It is so nice to be able to have some sort of communication with him. 

 

 

Even with the constant pain medication Noah is in a lot of pain. The main concern is his neck and the doctors are not sure the extent of his neck fractures.

Yesterday he was able to have 32 staples removed from his head. Most days he makes a tiny bit of progress and the majority of each day he is resting which we know is best for him. We tell him often of all the love and prayers being sent his way. Thank you for your continued prayers, we know Noah still has a long road of recovery ahead of him.

 

We love you all!

Unbreakable Spirit

We originally created this blog when Noah was in a car that was struck by a drunk driver who ran a stop sign in the summer of 2009. The car rolled, and Noah was ejected from his wheelchair, breaking many bones, including multiple skull fractures. He also suffered from hematomas (bleeding on the brain), which is most life threatening. Little did we know that we would have need resurrect this blog just a short time later. On Thursday, October 18th 2012, Noah was leaving his home to attend his college courses. As he went down the ramp his seat belt, his most crucial safety device, gave out on him. Noah was born with a condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (http://www.oif.org/site/PageServer), which causes his bones to be very frail and brittle. He only fell a couple of feet, but has sustained many broken bones. Both legs are broken, he has fractures in his neck, cheek and other facial bones are shattered, and he now has a titanium plate in the front of his skull where the surgeon said the bone was "obliterated" and could not be reassembled. Noah had a tough time getting through the brain surgery (to repair hematoma and skull damage) on the night of the accident, because his body resisted the drugs used to clot blood. A specialist managed to find something that worked well enough that they could close him up. At this point each moment is crucial, and we are left waiting and hoping. Noah is still in the trauma ICU as a precaution, because though stable he is in very critical condition, and the trauma center is better equipped to revive him if needed. Today (10/21) Noah was evaluated by the neurosurgeons, which say he passed "with flying colors." Noah opened his eyes a bit (which is hard with the swelling), nodded and shook his head a little, gave a thumbs up, and was able to demonstrate movements with hands and feet in response to specific questions. All of this is such a huge relief because the Doctors have been very concerned about the high risk of brain damage. Noah is very heavily medicated and has been on a respirator to help him breath, so communication is limited and we still do not know the extent of any damage. We are just grateful and happy that he is in there and aware of what's going on around him to some degree. His parents ask him if he needs extra blankets and he is able to answer by wiggling toes or fingers, and he has rubbed his mother's hand in affection. For now, we ask that Noah is given time to heal. The coming days are touch-and-go, and the trauma center has very restrictive visitor policies. Noah's family is with him as much as possible, and just ask that other visitors contact us first. Perhaps it may be beneficial to Noah if you wait until he is stable enough to be placed in a normal hospital room where the environment and visitor policy are more relaxed. Also, in light of Noah's progress today his Doctors are planning to lighten his sedation and get him to be less dependent on the respirator. At this point he needs rest and can't communicate with his family and friends the way he would like to. 
Once again, we thank everyone for the immense love and support. It means so much at this most difficult time.