From Alex: Noe had a great day today! She is more alert and responsive without her breathing (endotracheal) tube! So far she cannot speak with her new tracheostomy tube, but she was trying to communicate by moving her lips. After incorrectly guessing for 10 minutes, I finally understood her last words of ‘Forget it!', while she rolled her eyes. Tonight, in an effort to better communicate with her, I bought a block letter puzzle so she could pick up the first two letters of key words. As you may have guessed, this didn't work either! Please send in some 'comments' on how to better communicate with Noe!
As you know, I've been reading to Noe all the comments on the blog everyday. She definitely recognizes everyone and she responds with both smiles and tears!
I can't begin to thank you all for your generous gifts, prayers, and well wishes!! When Noe recovers and comes home, we will have a huge LUAU to celebrate with all of you!
Please continue to pray that Noe gains strength so that she can leave the ICU.
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4:19
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"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
On any other day...
Noe would be swimming at the club, riding her bike for hours, putting miles on her running shoes, working in the boy's classroom, visiting family in Hawaii, running errands, mentoring women, taking care of the family...and so on. But right now, Noe is fighting another battle, Bacterial Meningitis. Please read her story and join with us in prayer. We don't know of the trials ahead, but we know God has it all in His plan . "...and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.." Hebrews 12:1,2
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27 comments:
Alex and family-We are praying earnestly for Noe and believing God for a full recovery. We are praying for strength and peace for you all as the Lord walks with you through this journey.
Love-Gayle and Debbie Edmondson
Alex, This brought chuckles to me, imagining Noe rolling her eyes at you while you finally understood, "Forget it!" As for the block letter puzzle, you could actually make a lettered poster board with the alphabet written on it, and any common words. And then, if Noe is able to point, she can point at the letters or, if she is unable to point, you can try moving you finger across the letters until you reach the correct one(s). Hopefully, this proves more successful for you.
And, Noe, relish this moment: Alex will really have to practice his communication skills and attentive listening! But, did you really have to go through all of this just to get his full, undivided attention?
As for my niece, Tiffany, looking at her blog to you from the Christmas party, I think she may have had too much Christmas cheer!
Now, on a serious note, Noe, I can tell that a LOT of people draw strength from you. When you are not feeling at your best, that can be a little overhwelming. Remember Ecclesiastes 3:1: "To everything there is a season." Now is YOUR season to allow others to be there for you rather than your always being there for them. Hopefully you WILL be feeling up and strong soon, but it's OK if you're not.
I think of Paul's words in Philippians 1:21-26: "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again."
I remember being in the hospital years ago for surgery after an accident. And, I couldn't, and quite frankly, didn't want to, wake up. At one point I left my body and was looking down on it. And, it was very peaceful. However, it wasn't my time. Nor do I believe it is yours now, either. I hope that you are now over the hump of being in that fog. But, when you are, DO depend on others. They will be so blessed to help you, just as you obviously have helped so many others.
In the meantime, I will keep you and your family in my prayers. And, I will try to get Tiff back in line when I see her Christmas!
Alex and Team Aloha, thank you all so much for your valuable updates. It must be very tiring to be doing the updates so late at night after you have already had long days. The Lord bless you! Judy
alex, speak to a speech therapist and get a communication board for her. she can use eye gaze or point to help pick out pictures or words that will help her communicate. she's too weak to write, possibly give her a few days and she'll get more strength to write on her own. you could try to write the alphabet on a board and have her eye gaze to the letter and then you can write down the words. it take a long time to communicate with these things. so, keep her frustration tolerance down.
please tell noe that i have been talking to joan almost daily since she has been in the hospital and that i send my love to all of you.
if you need to talk to me about her rehab please call me.(i am an occupational therapist). i have access to PTs and speech therapists. i have been trying to find a good rehab clinic for her as well.
take care of yourself,
cousin lisa
Dearest Noe,
You are amazing and beautiful. Can you still feel the warm cradle of love of all the people who love you so much? You are held so dear in so many hearts,
It is joyful news that you are able to communicate, please don’t let frustration overwhelm you. We are all babies sometimes, having to take the first step in something or other. Little steps are the order of the day. If there is no picture board there, first maybe Alex can help you use alphabet, word, picture, photo, flash cards to get across the basic needs. Soon (though it probably seems like not soon enough) it will be easier to talk and communicate. Noe, you are always continually in our thoughts - just keep feeling that warm circle of love that protects you.
Val
Noe and family,
You are being prayed for here in Southern California!!!! Thank you all for keeping the blog, it helps us when we think of you, we can check it regularly...in fact it is on our tool bar of the computer and the kids (especially Elliot) checks it regularly. We continue to go before our all powerful Father in Heaven on your behalf. Know that you are all loved and words cannot express our love for you.
Bryan, Shannon, Foster, Elliot and Madeline Peebles
Noe, so glad to hear you are going to be able to communicate again! We miss you so much at school; Audrey was there yesterday taking the photos of winter and Christmas parties...and Egyptian Day for the 6th graders.
You continue to be in our thoughts and prayers, and are often mentioned during the day by many teachers and other staff.
Keep the faith and persevere in your journey of healing! You are so loved and valued, as is your lovely family. Christmas is all about light shining in the darkness, and God doing a "new thing." May it be so in your body, mind and life.
Very fondly,
Lesley Van Dordrecht
I LOVE that Noe rolled her eyes! That is so great. A glimpse of our Noe. Alex, I know you must feel so anxious trying to figure out what she wants but be calm and know that soon she will be talking your ear off. You are both so blessed to have each other. We are praying for you continuously throughout the day. We miss you. I am so thankful we have been able to see the boys. I love when I get to take them in my car. They are so funny and make me laugh. Have an awesome day today! We love you, the Fletchers (Dana, Mary, Daniel and Sam)
Dear Noe,
Yet again, one step closer to full recovery! Noe, it is so wonderful to hear that you are now able to communicate with Alex, even though it may not be as easily as both of you would like at this time. Each future day will be a new victory as you make steps that bring you closer to Alex, Noah, Luke, and all your family and friends who love you so much and are cheering you on. The blog comments this morning contain some great suggestions that will hopefully help the process. I continue to pray for strength and peace!
Love,
Nancy Arreola
Noe,
You go girl!!! You keep fighting like the strong woman you are. We will continue to send our love, strength and positive energy for you to hold on to as you recover. This is the toughest marathon you'll ever run, but you just reached the peak and you are now on the downhill...time an distance...you are almost there!
We love you...God Speed and Mary keep you!
Maureen
Thank God!! This is great news. Theresa and I are taking a hike at Kunde
Vineyard today. They have them several times a year. Make plans to join us next time! We miss you.
Love,
Joanne
Noe, Alex,
You have a friend on the other side of your wing at Memorial. Brian was in a very bad bicyle accident Tuesday and is recovering in the East wing. When we are at the hospital, we send telepathic thoughts of healing your way! Alex, you are the community's hero for keeping this all together for Noe, yourself and your boys. You are an amazing man. Thank you for keeping us all up to date with the blog. You and I will have some life experiences in common to share as caregivers besides our birthdays!
Next Tuesdays workouts, both morning and evening, will be "Swim for Noe and Brian!"
Catherine Davis
Masters Swim
Noe, my friend, I am so proud of the way you are using everything you can to be back with all of your loved ones. We miss you and know that this is a time for you to allow your Abba father to strengthen and heal you up. I have been praying for sweet time with Him as you rest and in your times of quietness. I know that you and Alex are shining His light to all of the medical staff. However, I am ready to see a little of that light in you for myself, I look forward to being with you. Taking Lukie to school has blessed me so...we have been praying each morning. He is a joy and is doing so well (from a clinical standpoint). You are such wonderful parents and have built them up for such a time as this. And they are well because of your love and commitment to them and because you have taught them to trust the Lord in all things. I am inspired and amazed by you and Alex. I love you. Shawna
What wonderful news to read this morning!
Noe we are praying so hard for you. As difficult and frustrating as the healing can be, be reassured that healing is taking place. It won't be long until you are lacing those shoes up again!
As always, our thoughts are with you, Alex and the boys!
The Christensen's
Alex, I have seen word magnets that you could use. Here is a web site that you can see what I am talking about: www.magneticpoetry.com They might have them at SchoolDaze on Pinner Rd in Santa Rosa or other novelty gift shops. You could place them on a small magnetic board, she could point to them as you place the words in order to make a sentence.
Noe, I love your spirit!!! Thank you God for your continuing touch in Noe's life.
Alex, Ha ha ha, your charade skills are no better than mine. We better not be in the same team in this game. Tell Noe that I can come to help whenever she needs me. We praise Him for answered prayers....really, nothing can separate us from His love. May you continue to experience His grace.
Guess who I am - an aunt that lives 20 minutes away from your former house. Alex, are you rolling your eyes too? Puzzles are good exercises for the brain.
Hi Noe & Alex - My Dad lost his voice box years ago and I remember in the beginning he used a white board to communicate. You might even try a kids picture dictionary so at least she can give you an idea of what she is talking about. We hope that you get better soon and will one day be able to look back on this as a distant memory.
Jackie & Mark Purter
Noe and Alex!
I am so excited to hear that you are more alert and trying to communicate. You really scared us Noe! You are very missed and continually thought of. Always the topic in the majority of conversations! We all love you! So, maybe Pictonary for christmas??? Keep up the good work girlfriend! See ya soon!
Jamie & kids
Hi Noe and Alex! We are here at our annual preschool reunion Christmas party, and we want to say hello to you and to tell you how much we miss you, and we love you. How wonderful to hear that you are doing better. We are trying to think of ideas for Alex to better communicate with you, but we can't think of any. You are here with us in spirit and we pray for you constantly. XOXOXOX Love you,
Janet, Kristin, Ellen, Julie, Peter, Paul, Chris and Michael, and all of the kids: Michael, Porter, Emily, Sean, Cricket and Erick and Bobby XOXOXOXO
I'm happy to see Alex's sense of humor--we've all been worrying about him while he's been worrying about you! God makes all things good! Your family's faith is inspiring.
I have no tips for communicating beyond what others have already advised. My husband and I are both able to speak and we miscommunicate all the time! I'm just excited to hear what you have to say when the time comes. God bless you, Jennifer
Hi Noe,
We had a fun classroom party yesterday. The kids brought in games to play with their classmates. Luke, being the intellectual individual that he is, brought in Scrabble! He found a friend to play and the two of them stuck it out for the whole hour even though Luke's opponent is an English Language Learner! Neat! Luke knows how to reach out to everyone. We also had a little contest. I noticed when I announced the winner, Luke was the first one to cheer for his classmate. He sets that kind of tone...always. He knows how to celebrate another's victory with genuine gladness. I'm so lucky to spend my days with this little person of goodness and grace. My love to you and your family!
Brigitta
Hey Noe,
I'm still paying attention. There have been lots of wonderful suggestions to help improve your ability to communicate. Definitely check with a Speech Therapist; they have tons of resources. I look forward to reading about your progress and the comments made by so many people who hold you dear. Count us as two more...
Aloha,
Valerie and Gordon
Such good news...keep it coming!
Thinking of you daily....sending big hugs and tons of love. Heal soon, we look forward to the luau and the celebration of Noe home!
Jennell, Jes, Carter, Jordan, and Makai
Hi Noe,
I wanted to tell you of the great day Mitch had with Noah today. It reminded me of one of those long summer days when the kids play for hours, (especially when Noah is in shorts and flip flops. I've barely just talked Mitchell back into long pants and shoes and gave up on Bob long ago!)
Anyway, pretty soon the neighborhood kids are over and they're decorating cookies, then playing "Apples to Apples". A fun day for all!
What a gift it is to have a "normal" day when the kids are just having fun. And I think of you and Alex and am grateful for every precious day. Thank you for helping us all remember our priorities and cherish our time together.
You are always in our thoughts and we can't wait to see you again.
Love,
Lyn Lavery
Noe, So glad to hear you are doing better. We all hope and pray that each day is better than the last.
Luke came to Riley's party today. It had been a while since I've seen him. He really brightens the room but I have always thought that. Also met your mom for the first time. A real pleasure.
We are all pulling for all of you.
Mark, Audrey, Riley, and Kelsey McDonald
Auntie Noe,
Justin and Kylie are praying for you and can't wait until they can come see you...
It's nice to hear that Noe is still Noe and impatient as ever...rolling her eyes at Alex! Hmmm...seen that before! How loving you are, Alex!
Noe, when you get home, I will come cook for you, okay?
Alex and family,
Where do we start. We just recently heard of this news. You all have been in our thoughts since hearing of this. I don't know what to say except we are praying for you and are thinking of you everyday,and can't wait to give you all a big hug. Keep on being strong and holding your heads high. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Love, The Clark Family
Steve,Tammey and kids
Hi Noe:
I have been reading the posts to your blog. I am a respiratory therapist working with a company called Passy-Muir. We make one way valves which are made to help a person with a tracheostomy speak. It may be that this could be of help to you. This would be something you could ask the Speech-language Pathologist about.
If you want to look at some information about the valves, you can go to the web site:
passy-muir.com
My e-mail address is: mharrell@passy-muir.com.
Have a happy Christmas.
Mike Harrell BS, RRT
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