A Fighter from The Start: Noah's Journey with Childhood Intervention

Our Early Childhood Intervention program works alongside families to support children as they grow, learn and reach new milestones. For Noah and his family, that support began when he was just two months old.

Since then, Noah continues to grow stronger, learn new skills and make incredible progress with his ECI therapists.

His mom recently shared their family's journey with us, from his diagnosis to watching him defy the odds.

Hear from Noah's mother:

"When I was 20 weeks pregnant, I went in for a routine ultrasound to find out the gender of my baby.

The physician said, " Congratulations, it's a boy," and I was so happy. But that happiness lasted only two seconds.

I saw his facial expression and knew something wasn't right. He said the baby's head was measuring much larger than they would like, and I was told to get a second opinion.

Two weeks later, I hopped on a plane to Houston for a second opinion. The doctor informed us that my baby had been diagnosed with a severe case of hydrocephalus and if I carried him to term, he would not survive for more than a couple hours.

I sat there in a room filled with doctors and specialists, and I had never felt so alone.

My family and I made the decision to continue with the pregnancy and let God's will be done.

At 34 weeks, I went in for a C-section and gave birth to my son.

A few hours later, a nurse came in and said, "He's a fighter, so we're going to fight right alongside him."

She took him up to the NICU, and at 5 days old, he had brain surgery and had to stay in the hospital for 6 weeks.

I was told he would need a G-tube to eat, so we did that. He grew stronger, and he made me stronger. I had to learn all these new things to care for him.

Noah started with his first two therapists when he was 2 months old, Ms. Priscilla (Physical Therapy) and Ms. Emily (Speech Therapy). Before we knew it, he no longer needed the G-tube. He was finishing a bottle in just a few minutes.

A few months later, he was rolling over, and by the time he was a year old, he was holding his head up and sitting independently. All thanks to Ms. Priscilla and Emily's expertise and persistence with him.

Then we added Ms. Andrea to his teams, and he blossomed even more. They have now become family to us.

Noah's progress has surprised everyone—family, friends, and even his doctors. Today, at 2 years old, Noah is crawling, cruising, taking a few steps while holding on, playing with his older brother, and engaging in babbling conversations. He can also feed himself.

All of this is a result of the hard work of his Easter Seals Greater Houston ECI therapists. Noah is defying all odds and learning new skills almost every month, thanks to the dedication and support of his ECI Family."

Noah has been a fighter from the very beginning, and we are so proud to see how far he has come. Stories like his are a special reminder of the impact therapy can have and how meaningful each new milestone can be for the children and families we serve

We can't wait to see what Noah accomplishes next!

 

 

- Easter Seals Greater Houston