Noah the "AMAZING"

I need to write about Noah.

Ever since we found out he had a serious heart condition when I was 7 months pregnant with him, I feel in a sense I have been walking on eggshells. There are so many heart conditions a child can have at birth, ranging from completely mild that only need monitoring, to extremely severe which have no hope. Well, we had hope, we were among the lucky ones that surgery could help correct Noah's special heart. It has not been an easy road, it has been filled with more bumps and turns than I care to remember, but every single one has brought us to the moment we are at right now.

Right now I can only reflect at how amazing he is. We have always been told by doctors that he is amazing, he has done better than most children do with the same problems. When he had his first open heart surgery at 10 months old, he was home from the hospital in 1 1/2 days. I am not exaggerating, it is a fact. He should have been there closer to 10-14 days, but he did so well that he was home in no time. When he was born, he weighed an amazing 9 lbs 12 oz. The average child with his heart condition weighs around 3 lbs. He got to come home after only 3 days in the NICU after being born because he was doing so well. We were told he would need surgery within the first few days of him being born, but he made it to 6 weeks before he went into heart failure. That was an extremely rocky road, but they told us the bigger he gets, the better his chances are. If they could get him to 12 lbs., it would cut his risks in half. Well, the day before surgery when he was taken by ambulance to Primary Children's Medical Center we weighed in at exactly 12 lbs. I am filled with so many incredible stories about how amazing he is, I could go on all day.

Today we went to the cardiologist for his annual appointment. I seriously get sick to my stomach thinking these appointments. Not that anything seems wrong with him, the 'what if's' just occupy my mind and I can't get rid of them until it is over with. Well, not only is Noah doing good, he is doing better than can be expected, and they could not possibly ask for a better result. I could not help but cry when I heard this. I know he is amazing, everyone who meets him knows he is amazing, his doctors know he is amazing, I just want the whole world to know how amazing he is. I know that as he grows older, he is going to be a strong man with the world at his fingertips. He has already accomplished more to survive than anyone I know, and he is only 7 years old. The world can only expect wonderful things to come from Noah, he is truly a MIRACLE. All parents think of their children as miracles, I have three who are equally wonderful, but to truly do what this child has done is nothing less than a complete miracle.

With that in mind, I have been fighting an inner battle with myself with why I am not involved more with his cause. I donate money to the American Heart Association and to Primary Children's Medical Center, but other than that I don't do anything. I don't go on Heart Walks, I don't get involved in the community of groups related to this cause. I honestly think the reason why is I felt if I had to belong to support groups, or put him out there as the child with a heart problem, then it meant we were fighting for his life. I know we are, but I always thought it meant there was no hope. I am a screwed up person in my thinking, and this only proves that. But no more, I am going to participate more and become involved in a cause that IS close to our hearts. If anything it will give me more of a reason to show off my miracle Noah. Maybe he can give others hope.