Stories of Hope
NOAH - Putting the Freeze on Cancer
Ever since Noah was a little kid, he excelled at everything. He loved playing piano, soccer, and was very artistic. By age six, he had won a scholarship for piano. He played soccer on the weekends and never missed school. He had a love for penguins and when rewarded for grades and good behavior, he would always ask for a stuffed animal penguin.
A week prior to Noah's diagnosis, he seemed to be in good health, but collapsed as he was skateboarding at a skate park.
On September 8, 2007, (yes - 09/08/07) Noah went to the doctor and had his blood drawn. Later that evening, he was asked to come to Children's Hospital where he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
He spent about two weeks in the Hematology/Oncology/Transplant (H.O.T.) Unit receiving intense chemotherapy. Through his early battle, he lost all of his hair and stayed home from school the entire year. He had to stop playing high-energy sports and spent a lot of time at home. He was admitted as an in-patient to the H.O.T. Unit a few times with high fevers and the flu. He was extremely vulnerable to colds and viruses.
However, with the difficulties, came opportunities. Since Noah's diagnosis, he designed the 2009 TODAY'S TMJ4 MACC*Star, and has become a spokesperson for Make-A-Wish and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.
The MACC Fund has given Noah the privilege to meet a star athlete, a fashion designer, and local news celebrities. More importantly, the MACC Fund helped give Noah life. Noah continues to play piano, participates in ballet and curling, and attends school regularly. Barring relapse, Noah will be done with treatment in November of 2009 and will hopefully be blessed by his doctors pronouncing him cured in 2011.
