January 13, 2013

A friend reminded me today that she hadn't seen a blog posted from me for awhile, a month to be exact.  Thank-You Leah for reminding me!

Noelle 6th Birthday celebrated in December!

Cousin's - Christmas Dinner, Craft & Movie Party!

The kids decorated their own boxes for the drive-in movie.  Yummy popcorn!

Yummy pizza, cake and fun crafts!  It was a BLAST!

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Christmas Eve!
With this past season of giving and many things to be grateful for our family is so thankful that Noel is doing so well to this point.  Without all the love and support of family, friends and church members we don't know how we would of endured this whole process of a transplant.  I believe and know it has made our family much stronger. . .

This last Christmas Eve brought us together as a family to remember our son, brother & uncle Chad who we lost 10 years ago.  Every Christmas Eve since he has been gone we have walked through snow sometimes a skiff to knee high and with temperatures very low to light candles, place roses on his grave, recall memories and have a family pray.  

Chad Noel Smith

10/19/83 ~ 12/25/02

You were taken from us so young

and unexpectedly 10 years ago today. 

We will always miss your smile,

laughter and jokes, but your memories

will forever be in our hearts.

Merry Christmas!

“Bud”

We Love & Miss You,

Your Family

* * *

Christmas Day!  

Thanks Amy, Noelle & Emma for spending Christmas Eve & Christmas overnight with Noel (Papa), Brett and I (Nana)!

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Christmas Day - After dinner and singing Happy Birthday to Noel I explained to our family that Noel & I had a couple of letters we wanted to read to them.  I preceded to read to our family the letter Noel & I had presented to his donor family just before Christmas.  This was an easy but hard letter to write.  I explained as Noel lay in the hospital after his transplant tears of joy ran down our faces as we started to write our letter.  We had now put it off until just before Christmas.  It was such a fitting time for us to finish this letter with Thanksgiving & Christmas to reflect on how thankful we were for such a giving family to donate there loved ones organ to Noel.

After I read our letter I preceded to read the letter we received from Max's mom. . .

Max would of celebrated his 24th Birthday in November his mom writes.  He was attending S.L. Community College studying art & graphic design.  He was aiming to attend the University of Utah.  He was also a manager at Blockbuster.  

In a picture of Max with his sister we noticed that they were Denver Bronco Fans!  How fitting that the Evans Family, Noel, Brett & I are all fans, as well as our Chad was!  

In closing his mom writes:  The comfort I take in Max's passing is that he went out happy and, for Max, on the top of the world.  He was living up to his own expectations which were quite high.  I hope that you will remember that you now have as part of you a remarkable and loving young man.  Who made his mom proud even in his death making it possible for others to live.  Please, please pass on the love. . .Janet, Max's Mom 

We thank you Max for another chance at life for Noel!

Noel & I would like to give a big THANK-YOU to

  Brett, Carl & Lu, Violet, the Murphy, Rosvall & Evans Families for spending time with us Christmas Day and for Noel's Birthday!  For also giving us the support during this time. . .

* * *

December 2010

Noel already has had his 4th ERCP on his pancreas to help remove the stone blocking in the duct.  The appt. started at 12:00 noon.  Surgery started at 2:30 pm and didn't end until 8:30pm that night.  Since Noel was the only one left on the surgery floor the nurses shared there Christmas Party dinner with me.  Yummy!  I was able to take Noel home by 10:30 that night!  His itching is getting very intense at times his blood sugar is bouncing up and down.  Four doctors appts. this month.  MELD SCORE 10. . .

December 2011

By now Noel is retaining water.  Paracentesis & Infusion performed.  Prescribed another medication for water retention.  Doctors want him to record his daily weight, go on a low salt diet and limit his fluid intake to 48oz.  His liver is starting to fill harder.  Clinic appts. every three months.  More Lab Work, Diabetes, Eye & Internal Medicine doctors appts. to go to.  

Noel last day of work Dec. 13, 2011. . .

December 30, 2011 received a call from the U of U Transplant.  Noel was on hold for the night for a transplant.  Emotions ran high!  When I received the call Brett & I were at the gas station filling up the car.  I started to cry and told Brett this may be it.  The coordinator said she would call us back but to be prepared.  No call came that night but by 9:00 am the next day December 31, 2011 the call came.  The surgeons had rejected the liver for Noel.  What a disappointment for us but knew there were reasons why!

First of December MELD SCORE 21 end of December MELD SCORE 15. . .

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By the end of January I should be able to tell more about Noel and his transplant progress after his doctor's appts. and continued weekly lab work that need to be done.  

Thanks for reading my blog and especially all of your prayers
. . .Deb