Noah, Age 8

Just before he was 3 weeks old, his parents took him to the emergency room at Spectrum Health because he seemed to be breathing very quickly and was sweating while nursing. Here it was discovered that Noah was in congestive heart failure. Noah's parents were shown an x-ray of his chest in which his heart was almost twice its normal size and was crowding his lungs, making it difficult to breathe. Still not exactly sure what was wrong, the doctors admitted Noah to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. A few hours later, he was diagnosed with a severe coarctation of the aorta (his aorta was narrowed to the size of a pencil point). Noah needed an operation or he would die. Unfortunately, because his heart was in such poor shape, the doctors did not think he would be able to survive immediate surgery. Therefore, Noah was put on drugs for the weekend to increase his chances. Dr. Neurotti, DeVos' pediatric heart surgeon, his nurse Gwen, and the PICU doctors were all extremely helpful and patient with Noah's parents as they dealt with more information about the heart than they had ever dreamed of knowing. Two days after his trip to the emergency room had led to his hospitalization, 3-week-old Noah was taken into surgery. Four and a half hours later, the surgery was complete and Noah began his recovery. He was able to go home after only a week of recovery. A true miracle!

Noah loves the outdoors and enjoys exploring the woods and collecting rocks, fossils, and leaves. He also likes drawing and playing basketball and soccer. Noah also enjoys activities such as camping, fishing, and canoeing with his parents (Jack and Rachel) and siblings (Lily and Ben).