Entry to Hell

We never imagined in a million years that we find ourselves in this position. What started as some back pain has turned into the biggest fight for our son's life.  At the center of all of it, is our precious, independent, brilliant 10-year-old boy named Noah. 

About 2.5 weeks ago Noah started complaining about some back pain. We figured it was a pulled muscle and treated it with Advil for about a week.  However, the muscle spasm's were keeping him up at night, and the pain was becoming more intense. He went for an x-ray, and found that he was super constipated and backed up.  We started on a regimen of MiraLAX two times per day and were told that it would take about two days to work. While we did have some success with the  MiraLAX, the intense intervals of pain increased. We took him to the emergency room in the middle of the night, and they could find nothing wrong. They did an ultrasound looking for twisted bowels, but came up dry.

 We returned the next evening to the ER, and they performed another x-ray and found that he was even more backed up. So, they prescribed the protocol for somebody who is preparing  for a colostomy. In other words, a major cleanout.  After an evening of total hell, we felt confident that the problem was resolved. We went back to the hospital to confirm that his bowels were clean, which they were, and we were told that with children, there might be some phantom pain for a few extra days until the nerves calm down.
That afternoon, I took him to Target to pick out a present. When we got out of the car he was complaining that his legs felt a little asleep. I figured he was dehydrated and just out of sorts. We took the escalator to the top, grabbed a cart, walked about 20 feet, at which point he tripped and then on his next step, face planted on the floor. 

I knew something was wrong. 

He argued with me and told me he uggs were just high and he was tired, but deep down I knew otherwise. I called my dearest friend who is also our pediatrician and she said it was time for an MRI stat. We assumed we were looking for something in the bowels. We headed to the ER at Children's hospital and they also weren't convinced that there was anything else to worry about. In fact, without my friend I don't think we would have even been able to get the MRI that night because he wasn't showing any neurological symptoms. 
She contacted a neurosurgeon and together they insisted that we get the MRI. He was absolutely hysterical about being put to sleep and agreed that he could stay still during the procedure. Around 1am, we headed upstairs and he tried with all of his might to stay still. What we didn't know was that lying down flat caused him agony and so he tried to grit his teeth and work through the pain. Watching him was absolutely heartbreaking and painful. They eventually came in and said we'd have to do this sedated and that there was a reason he couldn't lay down. That's when it hit. They found something. They weren't very clear about it, but I knew. 
After finding the anasthesiologist and coordinating that, we went back up for the MRI. It started around 2am and he didn't finish until 4:30 am. We were on pins and needles. Because of my friend, who is a selfless human being, our Images were being looked at by the head of neurosurgery by 9:15am. We were in his office with a diagnosis:  Tumor wrapped around spinal cord that is likely cancerous. I couldn't even believe what I was hearing. It was like a bad nightmare that I couldn't comprehend. I couldn't even look at the doctor. I kept staring at my friend for cues, and she didn't look good. I told my husband that he could hear the rest and I had to get out of there. It was too much to comprehend. Why him?  Why this?  He's only 10 years old!! 

They will remove as much as they can without impairing my Noah, and treat the rest with chemo. We won't know what kind of cancer we will be dealing with until it is biopsied, and the surgery will take place on Monday or Tuesday. This is our entry into hell. 
We feel absolutely blessed and comforted by the outpouring of support by friends and family. We are truly part of an amazing community and appreciate all of the kind thoughts, prayers, visits and visitors from far away. We have no other choice than to get through this and fight like hell. Noah came into this world fighting, and has a spirit that is strong, determined, and relentless. He will make it out on the other side stronger and more resilient. We are sure of it.