Noah's Archives: July 2009

Friday, July 10, 2009

One year today...

It was a year ago today we went to our first sonagram. 20 week sonogram...the nurse said it was supposed to be a "fun" visit. We were going to find out the sex of our baby before we went to Colorado to visit our family, friends, and attend our baby shower. It was a year ago today we heard the term Sacrococcygeal Teratoma. It was a year today this journey began and our lives were changed forever. It was the first time we worried about our unborn child and feared something terrible might happen. It was the day we learned we were going to have a son.

Our Story

Noah was diagnosed with a sacrococcygeal teratoma at our 20 week sonogram. We had no idea what that meant and thanks to google we quickly learned WAY too much about them. It's a tumor originating from the tailbone. One referral turned into another and in a whirlwind we found ourselves in Philadelphia at Children's Hospital. After a day of tests we met with an amazing surgeon who recommended we stay there and let them monitor our son and his tumor. We flew back to KS, packed our car, grabbed our dog, and moved to Philly.

Twenty-seven weeks into my pregnancy Noah's tumor had increased in size, had a very rich blood supply, and started to put him into heart failure. They decided to deliver Noah to save his life. They saved him indeed. We spent the next 88 days in the NICU. We got there at 7 am and left at 11 pm everyday. We watched him undergo two more surgeries to remove the rest of the tumor including a part which had migrated into his spinal canal. We watched him intubated, CPAP'd, brady (all the time!), live in an incubator, grow, get blood transfusions, have multiple IVs, and so many other things you just never want your child to endure. He fought every step of the way like a champ (he is much stronger than I) and finally we were discharged! Life started for us. We moved to a new town, met new people, watched Noah thrive. He started getting PT and OT to help him catch up (he was three months early therefore three months behind when referring to his development and milestones). We found out he had a hearing impairment and CVI, but he is so strong. His feet don't move but his legs do. This summer he started having seizures. He was diagnosed with Infantile Spasms. It's a form of epilepsy which is considered catastrophic. I believe it. This is a story of our battle. This will be a story of triumph.

Doctors and Therapists