Addesa Family Update, November 2007
Have you ever noticed that certain kinds of delectable fruits come
in clusters? Hold that thought for a moment.
I was pondering this morning a comment I made last Sunday to our
church regarding Jacob’s vision of angels ascending and descending
on a ladder right near the place he was laying. Here is what he
said next: Genesis 28: 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said,
“Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”
It has become very clear to me that we can get so caught up in our
own significance that we don’t even realize something of far
greater significance is happening around us. I have been in services
and conferences around the world, and there is one thing I have
always noticed. You can see someone being touched powerfully by
God, and another person in the same room may be more concerned about
what’s for lunch.
Back to the cluster. Within the span of five days, two of our local
TV stations called me and wanted to do an update on Noah. From the
outset our heart is to accommodate this kind of media coverage,
so that it will honor God and bring strength and encouragement to
thousands of people who have been following Noah’s journey
and praying for him. As I interacted with both reporters and their
teams, I was once again reminded that something far more significant
is going on outside of the Addesa household than one might imagine.
In an effort to serve them, I commented to one reporter that it
was ok for him to interview the two-rehab specialists if he desired
a more clinical aspect of Noah’s progress (as opposed to the
faith-filled perspective they get from us). I must admit his response
took me back a step. He said, “No, actually this is more important…watching
his smiles, listening to your family interact with him, and seeing
joy instead of solitude.” The cluster continued to grow.
Wednesday evening, a letter came to my house from a lady in our
congregation. She said her husband hated church and made life miserable
for her on Sundays when it was time to go. However when Noah was
struck down by lightning, something shifted inside of him. He started
to observe my family and my life and her statement in the letter
of her husband’s words were: “ If I never believed before,
I do now.” She went on to write: “The circumstances
of the paramedics just happening to be there and bringing him back
to life, and the wonderful progress since, and you and your family’s
faithfulness to God has convinced him there is a God worthy to be
praised!”
There really is a very large cluster of fruit growing out of Noah’s
circumstance, and we are simply a part of it. Today I would rather
simply convey to you that something far more significant is happening
than what is contained in the four walls of our home. Lives are
being touched, and hearts are being turned. From phone calls to
cards and letters to word of mouth in the marketplace, it is as
though Jacob’s ladder is right here in our midst. And if we
are only caught up in our own significance, like Jacob, we will
miss it. I choose not to miss it but rather step aside and say,
“Thank you, Lord, for taking our son’s loss and turning
it into something so significant that I have difficulty wrapping
my mind around it.” Maybe you will capture a glimpse of what
I mean in the news link below. To those who have labored in prayer
for Noah, the cluster grows larger with your intercession. Love…david
This is the first link that you can view from the Thursday evening
telecast.
http://www.wavy.com/global/story.asp?s=7300722
This is the second link (below) that will not air until tonight
at 11:00PM so you will not be able to view it until after they
run the story. This one is somewhat more elaborate and personal.
I would encourage you to check back later and watch it. I think
you will be blessed.
Noah_on_WVEC
http://www.wvec.com/news/chesapeake/stories/wvec_local_110207_lightning_kid_recovery.1c928da01.html
Last Updated: November 2, 2007 at 2:28 p.m.
Next update will be posted November 9, 2007 by 4:00 p.m.
_____________________________________________________
Pastor David preached a powerful sermon this past Sunday, and
we felt that many of you would want to hear it. Using Matthew
11:1-6 as his source, Pastor David addresses the question of “Why?”
In particular, he asks, “Why was Noah struck down by lightning?”
His answer may not be what you expected, but your faith will be
renewed and strengthened for the “Why?” questions
in your life. Follow this link to hear “Wrestling with ‘Why?
Pastor
David's Sermon-podcasts
Many thanks to the TV teams of our local stations Channel 10
& Channel 13 for their excellent coverage of Noah’s
progress. Because of that, this week as proven to be one that
reaped many words of encouragement to my whole family from people
both inside and outside the Tidewater area. If you were not able
to check last week’s update, simply scroll “up”
on this page and click on the two links for the video feeds. They
“show” more than I can “tell.”
One of Noah’s good friends (Nigel) from the neighborhood
came over to spend time with him. He was really intrigued that
Noah would actually kick the volleyball back to him with his right
leg every time he rolled it to him. We noted that for you a few
weeks ago, but his “kick” is getting stronger and
more sustained. Some other “Notables”: Noah’s
therapist continues to record improvements in his leg strength
during assisted “standing sessions.” He is holding
his head erect for up to ten minutes at a time. All-in-all, there
is general improvement in all areas.
Though it is only the 9th of November, an annual “Christmas”
transformation occurs about this time each year in our household.
24/7 Christmas music resounds throughout the house and the vehicles
we drive. My children grew up in this culture and have come to
eagerly expect it each year. In particular, Noah was often found
singing in the bathroom, which always brought great delight to
Lisa. Earlier this week, I was up in my office, and I heard something
rather loud downstairs, which usually is a portent of something
new or greater that Noah is doing. Essentially a celebration breaks
out with my girls when that occurs. As I headed down the stairs
I heard the Christmas music playing and Emma singing exuberantly
and Lisa saying “ that’s great Noah…you sound
wonderful.”
Well, you guessed it—in the background you could hear another
voice joining the ensemble. Noah had his mouth wide open and he
was singing a Christmas song with all the audible tones he is
able to release right now. It went on for some time, and we were
really blessed, to say the least! One day he will be articulating
the words to those songs as clear as a “jingle bell.”
Finally, there is an unsung hero who often goes unnoticed because
she does not desire the upfront exposure to media events that
occurred last week. That is Noah’s mother Lisa. She is one
of the champions of this story. She was with Noah the moment he
lay lifeless under the tree in our backyard and has never left
his side. She is amazing. If you have the time, would you consider
a simple note or card appreciating her for the amazing love and
sacrifice she has given for Noah. Lisa generally does not read
these updates, so she will not have a clue that I have asked this
of you. It’s just as we move closer to the Thanksgiving
holiday, I think it would really bless her heart to read unexpected
words of thanksgiving for the sacrifice she continues to make.
As with Noah, you can simply send the note to:
Lisa Addesa
1203 Brookside Landing
Chesapeake, Va. 23320
I thank you, and if Noah were able, he would as well. Love…david
_____________________________________________________
Last Updated: November 9, 2007 at 3:11 p.m.
Next update will be posted November 16, 2007 by 4:00 p.m.
Fall has finally settled in for our area and I love to stroll
with Lisa and Noah through the many back-walks that surround the
lakes in our neighborhood. Noah is becoming a familiar face to
many people as we walk by their houses and they see him in person.
This is one of those weeks that was a cycle of digestive struggles
that we have been trying to sort out for a long time. Every other
area of Noah’s recovery as been advancing but this one.
We have found some help in goat’s milk, however, the supply
of it un-pasteurized is limited. We have added pro-biotics, continued
nutritional supplements. Still the cycle of him vomiting every
three to five days continued. Then we found a doctor in Charlottesville
who is a specialist in G-Tube feeding. She called us back and
essentially said that actually what Noah is experiencing is common.
We are discovering the hard way that if you do not pursue what
is best for your health, it most likely will not be found (by
default) in the typical medical environment.
She told us that Noah needed to get on a formula that was actual
food ( meats such as turkey, chicken; cranberries, etc) and not
the artificial formula he has been on from the outset. In her
professional opinion Noah has developed a type of allergic reaction
to it and will no longer tolerate it. Thursday we were able to
locate such a formula in our area so I drove out and picked up
the case and we made the switch. Last night was great. Time will
tell if this is the answer but thus far, indicators seem good.
From here the doctor told us to diversify his diet and that should
balance out his digestion.
My brief overview of this one lingering problem does not lend
much to actual emotional weight it can bear upon us to see Noah
struggle to keep his food “down”. Sunday night was
one of those hard nights. I was up before 3:00AM and went to his
room to relieve Lisa of the night watch. She was noticeably tired
and discouraged over this mystery that has evaded us.
Later in the morning as is my habit, I was returning home after
my morning workout at Bally’s. To spite the night before
it was a beautiful fall day with mostly blue sky. I say mostly
because there was an exception. As I walked out of Bally’s,
right square in front of me was something I have never seen before
on a fall morning much less a relatively clear sky. There before
me in the sky was a small cluster of clouds (no rain anywhere)
and descending from it was a “pillar” (as opposed
to a bow) of a rainbow. It stunned me. I stood there amazed by
it’s splendor especially against the backdrop of a blue
sky. In that instant, my heart was filled with these words: “
Tell Lisa everything will be alright”. I raced home in hopes
that it could be seen from my house. It was still there when I
got home however Lisa was out walking with her friend Alice.
I told her what just happened upon her return. It was for her
as it was for me…a moment of weeping. Not tears of sadness,
but tears of thanksgiving that He would once again use the same
sign He gave the first Noah to assure him that things would be
alright as well. He is an amazing God.
Last Updated: November 16, 2007 at 1:12 p.m.
Next update will be posted November 21, 2007 by 4:00 p.m
_____________________________________________________
Because the staff is out for the Thanksgiving Holiday, there will
be no update this week. They will resume Friday, November 30th.
Last Updated: November 23, 2007 at 6:45 p.m.
Next update will be posted November 30, 2007 by 4:00 p.m.
_____________________________________________________
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving; the Addesa’s had
much to be thankful for. On Wednesday we finally received delivery
of Noah’s new “ “ Stander”. If you forgot
what that is, go back to October’s first entry and you will
see two pictures of Noah being fitted for this. We are very excited
about it because it will allow us to get Noah up in a standing
position referred to as a “weight bearing” position
that will help his brain reconnect with his physical sensations.
It has wheels on it so that he can stay on his feet for extended
periods of time and we can move him around. One more “step”
for Noah. One giant step for the Addesas.
Since we last updated you, Noah has been continuing to give his
rehab people cause to cheer. Lisa was telling me that (I am out
of town at a ministry conference till Saturday night) when she
position’s him in a sitting position to transfer from the
bed to the wheel chair, in times past it required not only effort
to lift him to the upright position but once he is upright, it
required significant effort to keep him in that position because
he had no strength in his torso to hold himself up. In a manner
of speaking, he was like a bowl of Jell-O. This week Noah was
actually able to sit upright with only one of Lisa’s hands
to steady him. In addition he has the strength to hold his head
erect and when he does that, he lets out a laugh because he is
excited about what he just accomplished.
If any of you saw the 60 Minutes program last Sunday, you saw
a young man in a wheel chair whose hands and arms are curled up
because of his brain injury. Noah used to be like that, but is
getting more and more limber. Lisa once again works with Noah
to loosen his limbs with stretching exercises throughout the day.
Emma was excited about a rehab session that Noah had yesterday
that ended with cheers. His rehab therapists sit Noah on couch
in an upright position and place one of those large exercise balls
(they use in gyms) in his lap and he braces his arms against it
to hold himself in an upright position. Once he is stable, they
then remove the ball slowly as Noah starts to lean forward to
about a twenty-degree angle. It is one of those “ drum roll”
moments as he is slouched over and the therapists say, “
come on Noah…try to sit up on your own”. He rolls
his eyes upwards and looks at them and then with one surge of
effort….pulls himself up to about an eighty-degree angle
on his own. It brings a round of shouts from everyone in the room.
It is a sight to behold.
In the last entrée above, I mentioned a struggle we were
having trying to figure out why Noah was having such digestive
struggles with his formula (please stop here and take a minute
and read the entry above so you grasp what I am about to write).
I ended the entry with the incident of a “pillar”
of rainbow. As an aside to this I had four people in our church
who were out that morning and saw it as well. Well….things
did get better for about a week. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving
was predicted to be close to 80 degrees so we changed all of his
rehab appointments to free up the day so we could go to the Zoo.
Noah loves animals.
On Tuesday before, it was as if we invited all of hell to go with
us. Noah started to get sick early in the evening. By midnight
my daughter Hannah came up and woke me and said he had gotten
sick five times. I went downstairs to stay for the night and Lisa
and I decided that we would not give him any fluids for the night
and let him sleep. In the morning if he did not hold down fluids
we would have to take that dreaded trip back to CHKD so they could
give Noah IV fluids. By morning we all were emotionally fatigued
from this plaguing mystery that neither the doctors nor we could
solve.
At 6:00AM Lisa was awake and I decided to go to Bally’s
to work out. I was simply “silent” in my spirit. I
had nothing left. I could not resolve the question why Noah was
advancing in every other area of his rehab but this. As is my
custom before leaving for the showers I dive in the pool one time.
The pool is surrounded by large double pane thermo-pane glass.
When I came up out of the water…..there in front of me was
that pillar of rainbow in the western sky. I was stunned. I immediately
got out of the water and went to the lifeguard to ask him if he
saw what I saw. He turned around and said: “wow…that’s
beautiful rainbow”. Once again it was not a complete bow,
but a pillar. Once again the voice in my heart saying…”things
are going to be alright”.
It doesn’t take an Einstein to figure out this one. What
are the chances that on a relatively sunny day I would see in
the same place in the sky, at the same time of day, and under
the same set of circumstances, a pillar of rainbow like I had
three weeks ago? You do the math. Mine adds up to God. He is good…His
mercy endures forever.
I went home and told Lisa. Since that morning, he has held his
food down very well and we are extremely encouraged. Thank you
all who continue to pray for Noah. The fruits of your prayers
are as evident as those rainbows He has given us. Love…david
Last Updated: November 30, 2007 at 4:59 p.m.
Next update will be posted December 7, 2007 by 4:00 p.m.
