Noah's Bumpy Road

Our family was blessed by the arrival of Noah on March 4th, 2006. A natural and uncomplicated birth; at 7lbs. 14oz. Noah was healthy, beautiful and vibrant. We celebrated each milestone of development in his first year with joy and wonder as he smiled, cued, laughed, crawled, talked and took his first steps. Besides his "Mama and Dada", Noah's blue and green "blanky" now took center stage, which tagged along everywhere he went (to this day he knows where it is every minute). Nothing could put this sweet child to sleep faster than his blanky, binky and a song of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot".

Each day was full of new and exciting discoveries: winged wonders called butterflies, the magic of the garden hose and licking frosting from the mixing beaters. Nothing changed and delighted his life more than the day his baby brother was born. Isaiah or "ZaiZai"as Noah called him became his best buddy.

Endless hours of playing with trains resulted in discovering every part of a steam engine; a very large collection of trains, yards of track and an intimate friendship with "Thomas the Train". As Noah's curiosity grew so did the size of his interest. Learning facts and names of dinosaurs soon became his passion (ask him what he wants to be when he grows up).

Preschool soon found Noah soaking up new ideas and new friends. Noah incorporated what he learned into life and then some, like the time he saw Momo's speedometer didn't match the road sign and told him to slow down.

Caleb or "giant baby" as he is sometimes called was just what was missing in his family; now the Kroekers truly house the "Three Amigos" or on some days, the "Three Stooges". All this to say that Noah is in the process of learning to be a patient, big brother.

God never promised a life without pain and struggles, just a way to handle whatever comes, with Him beside us - Sometimes carrying us "blanky" and all.

Early one morning in April, 2010, playing with his red fire engine on the floor, Noah fell face down and did not respond. An ambulance was called and he was taken to emergency where we were told he had a seizure. Because it was only one seizure his family was told it was not too alarming and he was sent home to follow up with his doctor, to the dismay of his worried parents and grandparents. Noah was not home more than ten minutes when a second seizure occured while at the lunch table. This time Noah was taken by ambulance to Mary Bridge Hospital in Tacoma, WA, where after two days of: x-rays, blood tests, MRIs and EEGs Noah was diagnosed with Partial, Complex Seizures. Epilepsy.

Relief it was not a tumor or cancer! Fear of what's next! Sadness for Noah! Tears, tears, tears! Anger and confusion! Begging and pleading with God! Trusting and believing! Breaking hearts every time another seizure took place!Lack of sleep! Resigning to what is! A very large learning curve!

Praises!!! Not once has Noah fallen and hurt himself! Every time he has had a Grand Mal seizure his mommy and daddy have been right there with him. Someone has always been able to help with Isaiah and Caleb. We love our friends and family! We are so grateful to Jon's bosses for their understanding and prayer, Jon has worked many hours from the hospital right beside Noah. God has given peace and hope, good doctors and nurses. Thank God for such a great support for our family and friends.

It is so hard to see a child, your child go through pain - IVs, blood tests, exhaustion after each seizure that he is unable to stay awake or respond. Noah is so brave; he tolerates the blood draws, but he may never get use to IVs; who does? He has a positive attitude every time he is in the hospital (especially if TV is involved). He trusts his parents and will do whatever they say he needs to do.

We have lost count of how many ambulances Noah has been in or the amount of days spent in 3 different hospitals.

Medication stats:

Keppra was started in April 2010, after his diagnosis, and then raised to a higher dosage in May and then again in Dec. and Jan. Grand Mals started in Dec. In Feb. he started on Banzel which kept the Grand Mals at bay. In April Phenobarbital was tried, which didn't work. Depakote was then tried and still no change. At home Zonisimide was given at several dosages with no positive results.

Noah's latest EEG showed that his experiencing twenty or more seizures every hour, twenty-four hours a day. These are smaller than the Grand Mals but they interrupt how he functions mentally, physically and emotionally. They also could cause cognitive delays to occur over time. After all these medication attempts we are now trying the Ketogenic Diet.