Addesa Family Update, May 2007

This morning, the Addesa's received a report from the doctors saying that they ran a test again on Noah's brain and it indicates he has great brain activity!! Praise God for his faithfulness and mercy.

Last Updated: May 1, 2007 at 9:30am
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Noah is becoming visibly agitated by the different medical equipment they have connected to him. Please pray for Pastor David and Lisa, as they meet with the doctors today to discuss a different approach to Noah's treatment. The family is encouraged by Noah's response, although the doctors have sedated him once again. Please pray that God would give the doctors wisdom.

Last Updated: May 2, 2007 at 10:50am
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Below is the link for the news coverage that was done for the Prayer Service on Noah.

Wavy News link
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Report from Pastor David:

Noah is about the same for the last two days. He opens his eyes frequently, moves part of his upper body and, bites down on his respirator tube when he is upset. The doctors are getting prepared to transition him to no breathing assistance to see if he breathes on his own. I had another consult with a doctor from out of town and he echoed the same sentiment. Noah’s recovery may be small or great, but either way it will take many months of marginal progress to measure any real results. I cannot accept that in my spirit.

Last night John Bevere called me and we talked a bit and then he prayed a very powerful prayer for Noah. He reminded me of the story in his book “Driven By Eternity” about his friend’s son who was electrocuted in his bathtub and who was supposed to be declared dead with the situation hopeless. The parents would not accept that report. They cried out to God for His power to intervene. That boy went on to college and had a 4.0 average with zero effects from the tragedy. John asked me if I was looking for that kind of miracle for Noah. I said “yes..absolutely”. He then literally cried out to God for this same kind of miracle to occur for Noah and I have firmly linked my agreement with his "on earth as it is in heaven". I ask that you all stand in agreement with me as well. From Lisa, Hannah, Emma most of all Noah, I as well thank you all for praying and agreeing with us in this manner. Love…Pastor David.

Last Updated: May 4, 2007 at 9:28am
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Report from Pastor David:

Today the Addesa family was hoping to see Noah off of his respirator because of the continued incremental improvements we were seeing in his eyes opening, slight movements in his feet and arms and legs etc. Furthermore, Noah has shown steady improvements in heart rate, blood pressure, body temp. and breathing rate. When the doctors tried to wean him today, Noah was not able to breath on his own. They re-inserted the respirator through his nose this time to allow his mouth and throat to heal. Needless to say, we are disappointed but not defeated. God must wake him up. That remains the central issue. Noah's brain is not able to send the correct impulses to his throat to synchronize his natural breathing process. Medicine has no way to cure that. It must be The Father. Please continue to pray that the power of God would flood Noah's room and have him arise from his bed of affliction. Lisa, Hannah, Emma & I are so grateful for the progress thus far. We are, however, not satisfied until The Lord our God manifests His Glory in that room and through it proclaims that the "Kingdom of God is at hand". We love you and ask that you keep interceding.

Last Updated: May 7, 2007 at 9:15am
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Report from Pastor David:

For those of you who are local, The Virginia Pilot has an article with a picture of Noah holding a Striper he caught last January. It’s on Page B9 of the Hampton Roads section (Tuesday May 8th). I am grateful for their heart to publish it. Yesterday, the doctors consulting on Noah’s case thought that a tracheotomy (breathing tube in his throat) would relieve Noah of much of the pain and discomfort of having all the tubes in his nose and down his throat. It will also allow his throat and nasal passages to heal.

The caveat, however, is that it usually takes about 10 days to get the medical team together to do the procedure because of previously scheduled surgeries of this nature. We agreed it would really help Noah recover. It is only a small incision in the lower part of the throat and takes about 35 minutes for the procedure. Again the grace of God abounded. Within hours of telling us, the nurse said, “We have made special arrangements to fit Noah in tomorrow. (Tuesday) So the procedure is supposed to take place about 3:00PM". We are very happy for this incredible favor shown us by CHKD.

Noah continues to open his eyes frequently, have reoccurring facial movements and swallowing and arm movements. All his vitals remain good. He particularly loves to look at Lisa for extended periods of time when she talks to him. Please keep praying that Noah wakes up. The Father’s miracle could happen at any time! My love to you all for your prayers and support.

Pilot Online Link

Last Updated: May 8, 2007 at 8:50am
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Tuesday was another good day for Noah. The doctors originally blessed us with the news that they could perform Noah’s tracheotomy immediately. (instead of the ten day anticipated schedule delay) They also removed the feeding tube from his nose and inserted a small tube directly into his stomach. Both surgical teams met with Lisa and I and said that everything went fine. Noah received a “two for one” blessing because he does not have to have another surgical procedure concerning theses matters. When I left last evening, it was a joy to see his beautiful face unmasked again with the removal of all those tubes. When they brought him back to the room for recovery from surgery, Emma and I had the privilege of seeing him open his eyes wide and look at us for a few minutes. Noah was resting well and we are waiting for the Father to send His Word and awaken my son. Please continue to contend for Noah’s miracle to be completed. Our love to you all, Pastor David

P.S. Lisa was originally planning to preach the Mother’s day message this week. She feels she can most effectively preach that message by staying at the bedside of “her baby boy.” I have the honor of being her back-up. I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday and conveying to you what The Holy Spirit has put in me to share with you.

Last Updated: May 9, 2007 at 10:00am
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Wednesday was a day of “recovery” prescribed by Noah’s doctors who performed surgery on his tracheotomy and stomach feeding tube. They kept him relatively immobile with morphine most of the day to allow both areas to heal before he starts any significant movement. All other vitals remain good. So I guess the best way to say it in simple terms for Wednesday is “no news is good news.” We expect today to have more activity as they decrease his medication. Please keep praying for his day of awakening. Lisa, Hannah and Emma are doing well. Thank you for your love and concern, but mostly for your intercession. My love to you all, Pastor David

Last Updated: May 10, 2007 at 9:20am
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Today was a good day for Noah. The doctors have decreased sedation to a minimum to counteract the post op pain of his tracheostomy and feeding tube. He did very well today in that regard, having only occasional moments of discomfort. We had numerous times today when his eyes were completely open and he gazed into our eyes. Lisa and her sister Rachael had a few moments this afternoon when they asked Noah to “blink once if you hear me” and he blinked once. They repeated the command, except this time they said, “blink twice if you can hear us” and he blinked twice. There was an abundance of tears shed right after that encounter. Tears of joy, I might add!

Please continue to pray for Noah, as we along with you, contend for something that will bring glory to our King. Noah is not completely awake yet, but have our complete trust that he will be well soon. We love you and are eternally indebted to you all for your intercession for our son, Pastor David

Last Updated: May 11, 2007 at 9:45am
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Today, I noted that it has been two weeks since our son, Noah, was struck down by lightening. I need to pause for a moment, for my sake, and reflect on the goodness and graciousness of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. I love Him more than my feeble language can express. Noah was again frequently opening his eyes and at times appears to focus on Lisa as if to tell her she is still his Mama and he’s coming back. The doctors decided to try to wean Noah completely off the respirator today because he has consistently breathed “over” the respirator for two days. I had to leave early to oversee a wedding rehearsal for tomorrow, however, as of this moment (7:22PM) Noah has been breathing on his own for about five hours! The respiratory therapist told Lisa that on the first day they usually put them back on the respirator for the night because they can regress during the normal sleep cycle. Her last comment was that they might leave him off tonight because his breathing is so strong.

I am weeping as I write this because I am so very grateful for the thousands of you who have been interceding for Noah. God is moving…please don’t stop. Lisa has been sleeping at the hospital for two weeks now and has not been privy to these updates. Would you please join with me in asking The Father to give Lisa the greatest Mother’s Day gift of her life? I believe every mother reading knows exactly what I mean.

One final encouraging moment to share as I close for the weekend; about 3:30PM today, Noah began to slightly squeeze Lisa’s hand. I was there for that one. The miracle continues. I love you… Pastor David

Last Updated: May 11, 2007 at 11:55pm
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Today is Monday and for some, Mondays are a gloomy day. For the Addesa household, it was a bright day. My son, Noah, was released today from the 3rd floor ICU unit and transferred up to the 5th floor of CHKD. It is called the “Transitional Unit.” What that means is that Noah has demonstrated for about three days now, the ability to breath without a ventilator and without oxygen. He is breathing through his trach tube by himself.

His eyes are open much of the day and he has some facial expressions at times that we have not been able to “translate.” I say translate because he does them at particular times of provocation. (like suctioning his trach tube or taking blood samples) We are seeing continued movement in his limbs and head. He is not “awake” yet, so please keep praying. Today is a good day for my son; I am looking to his awakening by my Father in Heaven. Love… Pastor David

Last Updated: May 14, 2007 at 9:00pm
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Today was Noah’s first full day in the Transition Unit. First, two peripheral bylines to give you snapshots of the impact Noah’s life is having. The chaplain on the 3rd floor of CHKD told Lisa that one family who we interacted with was so moved by “our courage and encouragement to them” (in spite of Noah’s condition), that it led them to the place of saying to the chaplain, “ I think we’ll give God a try again”. Because of the strict confidentiality protocol the chaplain was not able to tell us who it was. I have a suspicion, however, that it was someone Lisa and I prayed with while Noah was in the PICU. God is good.

Yesterday morning after our 5:00AM intercession at Harvest, one of our young men came up to me and shared how Noah’s story caused his buddy to open his heart to the Lord two weeks ago. He went to our quarterly Men’s Encounter and God completely “rocked his world.” Thank you Lord.

I have a suspicion that more of these stories are out there, though I may be unaware of them at the moment. Nevertheless, I know more than ever before in my life that Romans 8:28 is true when it says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

Noah continued to show increased movements, frequent eye opening, and some actual “sighing” sounds when he yawns. I would call it a good day. We continue to await his awakening from the coma. Please keep praying. Love… Pastor David

Last Updated: May 16, 2007 at 12:00pm
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Yesterday I spoke metaphorically of “snapshots” of things relating to Noah’s current circumstance. Today I thought it would be appropriate for you to see two actual pictures I took that give you a vivid contrast to what Noah looked like the third day of his PICU admission, and how he looked today. The first picture shows him on complete life support and partially shows the chest burns. It is not very pleasant to look at because Noah was in really bad shape.



The second picture I took this afternoon. It shows one of his many moments when his eyes are open and he is looking at us. Even though he “looks” awake, he is still considered comatose.

He is more readily moving his arms and is increasing his strength resistance when I work with him. The miracle is not yet complete, your intercession is still coveted by my family.
Daniel 10:12,13 "Then he said, 'Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way.'" (NLT)
I want to encourage all of the people praying for Noah that sometimes there is an onslaught of resistance from the powers of darkness as it relates to the arrival of answered prayer. These dark angels did everything in their power to keep Daniel from getting the answer to his prayers. I believe there are elements of that going on in the heavens over Noah right now. Please keep doing spiritual warfare for my son. The battle continues, but Lord my God will overthrow all that the enemy has tried to accomplish. Thank you once again. Love… Pastor David

WVEC_LINK

Last Updated: May 17, 2007 at 8:35pm
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This Friday evening I am sitting down to share some further blessings God has brought to us all. I am thankful to Him for His grace and mercy. Lisa had a number of interesting interactions with Noah today that took us to another level of expectation. There were occasions when Lisa would “lock on” to Noah’s eyes and ask him to voluntarily “open his mouth”. He began to actually do that which brought great joy to her and to us. On two occasions he took a deep breath and exhaled and appeared to verbalize something that sounded like “mom” over the trach tube. Pretty emotional moments to say the least.

The last two evenings Noah began to exhibit some strange symptoms just before it was time for him to go to sleep for the night. “Thalamic storming”: A term commonly used by nurses caring for individuals who have had brain injuries. It means that a person like Noah who has been struck by lightening can have times when the brain is “firing” randomly and haphazardly. They contort all over and almost act like they are having a seizure though they are not. It’s quite bizarre and troubling to see if you are mom and dad. Interestingly, Noah has been having these episodes after I leave at night and it has been very hard for Lisa to cope with. Sedation meds have helped calm him, however tonight I decided to stay longer and see if I could be of benefit.

With good intentions I’m sure, the head nurse came by his bed and said “we have changed his medications today to see if that will help Noah during his “witching hour.” Those of you who know me personally would understand that that comment did not did sit well with me. I decided to stay at his side tonight to see about this matter. As evening dawned, he started to sweat and the storming began. I took his hand and began speaking softly to him. Every time one of those thalamic storm waves would roll over him, I would squeeze his hand and speak peace over him in the natural and softly pray in the spirit into his ear. Furthermore I kept quoting Romans 16:20 “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (NLT) An hour went by before I even realized it and Noah was sound asleep in his bed. My God is good. Early this morning I awoke in the darkness of my room and the Holy Spirit brought me understanding. He reminded me of the storms Jesus calmed and that He still calms storms today… regardless of what sophisticated names we give them J. My God is amazing. Please keep praying till the miracle is complete. Our love to you all… Pastor David

Last Updated: May 19, 2007 at 9:45pm

Next Update will be posted May 21, 2007 by 4:00pm.
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Entering our fourth week of this journey with my son Noah, I realized today that I have acknowledged many moments of thanks to you the prayer warriors and to my God for His grace and mercy. However, with the other very public moments I have had with various media coverage, some of my gratefulness never made it past the production editor’s floor (meaning that it was cut out). So, I do want to pause for one brief moment and express my deep and heartfelt gratitude to the CHKD staff of doctors, nurses, and staff for their amazing care for Noah. You guys are truly a blessing to my son and my family! I have observed your care and concern for my son in a manner that bespeaks of more than just great professionalism; but also a “calling” to the hurting and injured kids and families of Tidewater. You guys are champions in my book but more importantly, in His book.

Today Lisa was sharing with us as a family how Noah is starting to exhibit more familiar traits that identify him as the Noah we remember. He is showing continued signs of awakening from his coma. Lisa was sharing with me how he has actually begun to “move” (while he is sleeping) with the grace and coordination he would routinely exhibit if he were sleeping at home in his bed. For those who have never observed a comatose patient over time, this is truly amazing. Imagine for a moment the “Tin Man” in the Wizard of Oz when his joints needed oil. His rigidity mimics the movements of comatose patients. When Lisa woke up and saw Noah moving his arm and legs as if nothing was wrong…well she was astounded to say the least. She as said to me “David… I believe he is getting close to waking up”. What else can I say other than “Go God… go Noah… we are waiting your return. Please keep interceding. Love… Pastor David

Last Updated: May 22, 2007 at 4:40am
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I was thinking today about Paul’s desires to see the Kingdom of God continue to manifest in his ministry and yet he had occasions when there were setbacks of sorts. We had one small one this morning as it relates to Noah’s continuing improvement. Lisa’s diligence (once again) thwarted a potential serious problem for Noah. Monday evening Lisa noticed that his G-Tube (stomach feeding tube) was oozing a substance that appeared to be his nutrients as opposed to blood or other bodily secretions.

Finally she discussed it with the attending nurse and they agreed to stop feeding Noah until it could be determined if his feeding tube was secure. X-rays, in fact, showed that the tube had slipped out of his stomach and was lodged between his stomach and his abdominal wall. The staff concluded that they would have to return to an IV drip for fluids until a surgeon was available to reset Noah’s G-tube. The doctor who originally put Noah’s G-tube was in today and told Lisa and I that “he has never seen this happen before.” Hmm…I think I understand why. When I hear statements like that, it tends to cause me to look past the temporal and toward the eternal. Whatever the cause of this unusual turn of events, I serve a God “calls those things that are not as though they were.” We thank God for Dr. Kelly. He is a good doctor and good surgeon. However we look to the Great Physician for the ultimate remedy. He has the last word on my son’s outcome!

Once again, great favor was granted to us to have Noah taken in about 3:00PM today to have the tube replaced. Thank God we did not have to wait for days. The “reset” went very well. I left this evening with Noah still sleeping from the anesthesia and the doctors and nurses are very confident that this would solve the problems. Thank you Lord for your favor in my son’s life. Please keep fighting for Noah’s awakening. Love… Pastor David

Last Updated: May 23, 2007 at 8:00am

Next update will be posted May 24, 2007 by 4:00 p.m.
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Pastor David preached a profound and moving message this past Sunday (May 20, 2007) as he reflected on the miracles and challenges of the storm his family is facing. This message will not only give you insight in how to pray for Noah and his family, but in how to face the storm you may be personally experiencing. Just follow this link to the message:

http://www.davidicdesign.com/category/harvest-podcasts/

Last Updated: May 23, 2007 at 9:19 a.m.
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Today was a challenging day for the Addesas. We have had seven pastors visit Noah’s room to pray for him. That was fabulous. However, my ignorance of the Creator’s process to heal my son puts us at a considerable disadvantage. What I mean by that is we believe in the divine intervention of God, yet I am not sure what role we play in either facilitating that end or inhibiting it. We had a number of consecutive days of progress with Noah, but it appears that the displacement of his G-tube, the surgical procedure to repair it and the subsequent discomfort of recovery have somehow reversed this positive trend so that Noah has become hypersensitive to environmental stimuli. The thalamic storming began again but this time we are finding it very difficult to calm Noah because of the multiplicity of sounds that go on around him.

As an example, last night I would hold his hand and speak peacefully to him and pray softly over him and the storms would subside and then he would surge again upon the sudden sounds of people talking, equipment beeping, visitors talking, nurses doing their rounds and a plethora of other sound stimuli. Noah is currently in what CHKD calls “Pod A.” Within these pods there are about five kids and they are connected to other pods on that wing that have a similar configuration. The drawback as it relates to Noah’s specific case is that there are no walls or acoustic absorbers to dampen the many sounds that go on moment to moment. They are simply divided by curtains.

At this point, we are asking you to specifically pray that Noah will be moved to a more private setting. My speculation is that his brain is trying to rewire “itself” and the constant introduction of sound stimuli triggers a storm. In simple terms he is overloaded. I perceive his increased sensitivity as definite progress, however his immediate surrounding needs to change to enhance that. Please pray with us that he will be placed in the exact room he needs to be in. I understand now more than ever what the Psalmist meant when he said that we are “ fearfully and wonderfully made”. We covet your continued intercession to push the battle forward. Our love to you… Pastor David

Last Updated: May 24, 2007 at 8:20 a.m.

Next update will be posted May 25, 2007 by 4:00 p.m.
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Tomorrow will be week four of Noah’s journey back to us. Time for us, has seemed to become suspended. The staff on the 5th Floor of CHKD attending to Noah have shown wonderful compassion to us as we have shared our concerns from yesterday. The doctor and nurses attending to my son are going to have a “team meeting” with Lisa & I to discuss the entire strategy from here. What a great blessing they are to us. Two significant things occurred this afternoon.

Allow me to preface these by telling you that people who are in coma can become very stiff and rigid if you do not regularly perform PT via limb extensions and multiple stretching exercises. Lisa and I have been doing this throughout the day. However, moving Noah’s head from side to side has been a challenge because his neck muscles seem unusually stiff most of the time. When you try to move his head…you have to be very slow and deliberate. Today I decided to concentrate more on messaging his upper back and neck muscles (for some reason I just had this impression I was supposed to). Before I left to come home, he started to move his head (slowly) from side to side on his own. It was very very encouraging. When I arrived home, Lisa called me and said” David Noah is wiggling his toes… wow he’s really moving his toes….oh wait…he’s moving his feet as well!” She was bubbling over with joy and wonderment. You see Noah was asleep while he was doing all of these amazing toe and leg movements. They were not spasmodic or irregular, but very deliberate and coordinated in their motion. Apparently when Noah is asleep, he must ascend to some kind of twilight labyrinth and find the right path to connect with the motions we have been asking of him for weeks now. I have a sneaking suspicion that Noah is communicating with angels in his sleep state and they are instructing him on the next steps. Call me a fool…but it’s ok. I chose to believe he is in the hands of my King. The One who “gives His angels charge over thee” Please keep praying, your prayers are activating the host of heaven for Noah. Love…David

Last Updated: May 25, 2007 at 10:34 a.m.
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It’s early Saturday morning and I wanted to pause and thank those of you who prayed in last night’s prayer & intercession vigil for Noah. I received an e-mail this morning letting me know that it took place and I am deeply grateful for such a sacrifice. Noah had a good day yesterday. His eyes were open all day with frequent moments of apparent “scrutiny” he seems to exhibit while responding to people, sounds, sights etc. We had our team meeting with the doctor and nurses yesterday and it went very well. They are trying hard to help reduce the noise level around Noah during the evening hours. Beginning next week, we have a goal to get him out of bed and into a wheel chair to facilitate his recovery. (I would prefer that he simply stand up and walk around…but that’s in the Father’s hands.) Lisa said he slept well last night and she did as well. May this day be his day of awakening. We continue to watch and pray until that happens. Thank you for caring enough to walk this journey with us. Love… Pastor David

P.S. The first picture below is of my son, Noah, with his best friend, Noah, who loves him like a brother. He has been given special permission from the CHKD (because of ages requirements) to visit Noah any time he wants.

The second picture is to help you see what Noah looks like throughout the day. He has a sparkle in his eye even though he has not awakened yet. The tube you see on his trach is to provide humidity to his breathing to replace what normally happens when we breathe through our nose.

Last Updated: May 26, 2007 at 3:40 p.m.
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Monday is Memorial Day and I am grateful to the men and women in uniform who paid the price for me to have the freedom we have. Freedom is not free…and I for one will never take it for granted. This is likewise a memorable weekend for the Addesa household. Before leaving the hospital Saturday evening I said to Noah, “Hey bud, I look forward to hearing you say good night dad like you used to.” His eyes were locked on mine and in that moment I perceived Noah actually understood me. So I said, “Noah, you can start tonight if you want to… just start moving your lips and something will come out.” I then proceeded to move my mouth up and down as if I were saying something to show him what I meant. I looked down and he was mimicking me. My first thought was that maybe he was simply moving his mouth spontaneously and I happened to glance down in that moment.

I began to encourage him to move his mouth up and down and to allow his breath to speak some sounds. He continued to move his mouth up and down and it became clear to me that Noah was really trying to get some kind of sound out of his mouth. I repeated the request a number of times and he would continue to take deep breaths and move his mouth up and down. My family gathered on that side of the bed because they sensed, along with me, that Noah was trying to go to the next level. It was a time of tears rolling down my cheeks on to his pillow. Since then we have heard some “sighs” but no syllables yet. Nevertheless, I am very encouraged that he is trying. Sunday Lisa said he was actually swallowing and coughing on his own. Finally, it has been a blessing to see him “follow” your movements across the room with his eyes, but now he is actually moving his head side to side. Again, unless you have been with a comatose person, these responses seem insignificant. To us they are memorable and marvelous.

Early Sunday morning before services, I was in my office and what came to me was the story of Lazarus. Jesus allowed him to stay in the tomb much longer than anyone would have liked. He then showed up and called Lazarus back to life. Lazarus then had to be literally “unwrapped” from his burial clothes by his family and friends so he could walk and talk and go about his life. I believe the Lord has brought Noah back in His time. Your prayers and intercession are helping to “unwrap” my son from his grave clothes. Thank you so very much for praying for my son. Let’s keep unwrapping him until the job is finished. Love… Pastor David

Last Updated: May 28, 2007 at 9:35 a.m.
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Today Noah went to the OR for the doctors to check, with a scope, his larynx to see if there was/is any damage from the initial two weeks of ICU respirator trauma. Many times the tubes inserted into the airways cause tissue damage. These are necessary risks to save lives. The procedure required mild sedation, but not general anesthesia. The doctors came out and said that there is no scarring or damage. Praise the Lord! They are now charting a strategy to decannulation; the removal of his tracheotomy tube. They will start by gradually reducing the size of the trach to wean him off so that he can breathe over it and eventually remove it altogether.

This week we are supposed to try and get Noah in a wheel chair. In anticipation of that, we electronically adjusted Noah’s bed so that he was sitting in an upright position for a few hours. He did well. It was really neat to see him sitting upright for the first time in four weeks! Please keep up the fight for his awakening with your intercession. Love… Pastor David

Last Updated: May 30, 2007 at 11:15 a.m.

Next update will be posted May 31, 2007 by 4:00 p.m.
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Some days depending on my obligations, I get to spend more time with Noah than other days. Today I went in early and it was Noah & I most of the day in order to give Lisa some extended time away. It is never a sacrifice to be with my son, it is rather a great blessing and honor. Today was the day the medical team decided on two “upgrades” for Noah. The first was an addition to his trach tube called a “talking tube”. What that means is that they place an adaptor on top of Noah’s trach which allows him to inhale through the tube but then there is a valve that closes that forces him to exhale through his nose and mouth. The head nurse placed it on his trach this morning and said we would have to watch him for a while to see if he would tolerate it. (It is another step in the process of removing the tube all together.)

Noah was a champ again today. He had no negative reflex and met the challenge with grace and aloofness. He just acted like it was no big thing and started to breath, as he should through his nose and mouth. What a joy! This addition allows him to “talk” when he so desires. The next upgrade was slightly more radical. The team decided to lift Noah out of his bed to see if he could function in a wheel chair. When you have been in a bed for a month that can present a number of challenges. Again Noah did very well. Below you will see his first step “out of bed”. Unfortunately because of Noah’s large size for an eleven year old, the wheel chair was a bit too small to keep him in for any length of time. They decided to let him stay for a few minutes and take him out so they could send the chair down to the shop for significant size adjustments. The ‘enhanced” chair was in his room when I left tonight. What can I say other than thank you my Lord. Thank you for interceding for Noah. Love…David

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Last Updated: May 31, 2007 at 9:44 a.m.

Next update will be posted June 1, 2007 by 4:00 p.m.