Settegast-Kopf Funeral Home click for map
15015 Southwest Freeway (Northbound side)
Sugar Land, TX 77478

Viewing at Funeral Home
5:00-8:00pm Friday

Visitation with Family to receive guests at Funeral Home
6:00-8:00pm Friday

Funeral Services – 12:00pm (noon)
Saturday, May 14, 2005
at First Colony Church of Christ click for map
2140 First Colony Blvd.
Sugar Land, TX 77479

Graveside to Follow at Davis-Greenlawn cemetery (Rosenberg, TX)

Please see information to the side concerning the Noah Whaley Miracle Fund

Noah Allen Whaley went home to be with the Lord today. I am comforted by knowing he passed peacefully and quietly held by the loving arms of his mother. I am thankful that my Lord made many of the difficult decisions easier, which allowed us to sing him songs, read scripture and pray over him. The Lord knew that all we wanted to do was love our little boy. I am thankful for the peace the Lord has provided to Julie and me.

As parents, all Julie and I really wanted for our son was a relationship with our savior Jesus Christ. We looked forward teaching and watching him grow in this relationship. Today my son knows better than I do the fulfillment of that dream. My wife, daughter and I rejoice for him. We hope that you do the same.

Someone will be posting complete funeral details in this blog. Julie and I are tentatively planning on Saturday morning. I think as we gather our thoughts over the next few days we will continue post. I know that I look forward to reading the words only a mother can express about her child.

In the Lord we trust – Ethan & Julie

John11:33-36

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

I think this verse describes the Noah we knew very well. Praise the Lord!

“This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” Gen 6:9

I am headed to the hospital as Noah’s condition today has taken a turn. The doctor suspects he has pneumonia. Julie and I need the strength to make important decisions if we have to fight the medical establishment for the life of our son. We have alot of “consulting” to do and I am not looking forward to it. Julie and I want everone to know that God has shown us both tremendous amounts of peace and comfort. We love our son and want the best quality of life for him. Please lift us up to do what’s best for him. – Ethan

Well…mom and i were sitting at the bedside listening to Dr.Griffin tell us whats going on with Noah, and mom mentioned to him that he opened his left eye for uncle Brad last night. And the doc said, yeah he just opened it while we were talking. I guess he didnt realize how much we like to see those “little” things happening. So i sat there looking at Noah while they continued to talk, and around 11:34a (not that I was keeping track) he opened both eyes for a brief second, and then closed them. I think my heartrate jumped to about 230. It gave me a glimpse at little Noah. I take it as a good thing. Dr’s may have their take, and nurses and others… blah blah blah. But to me, it was good to see his eyes open.

Right now, they see fluid in his lungs, probably due to aspiration, as well as his bodies ability to get rid of it efficiently. They are going to give him some diuretic to help drain him out, and probably give less fluids. Julie/Ethan may want to describe more of this later… so i wont say a lot, other than pray for Noah. He’s a fighter.
uncle steve

Mom called me from waiting room just before 9am. Saying the nurse asked her to leave the room. Noah’s O2 levels had dropped to 70 and his heartrate was up to 180’s. By the time I arrived at the hospital, mom was back at this bedside. They were doing a chest xray, and had called Julie to order some tests as well as a spinal tap. Noah has a 100.7 fever, which will cause his breathing and heart rate to jump up a bit. His breathing is more labored now, and you can tell by his chest and body movements. Could be a cold, but the tests they are now running/ordering will tell for sure. The spinal would give any notice of meningitis that would not show up in his bloodwork, and of course his bloodwork(CBC)tests will show any type of infections.
Please lift up Noah’s little body in prayer before our Great Physician. Julie and Ethan were at the park with Alyssa this morning …

uncle steve

The days seem so long, but yet so short. And though the last 7 days have been the hardest of my life, I can’t believe that they have gone by so fast and my precious boy is a week old. What a week this Earth shown him.

As I sat at home, comforted by a dear, old friend of mine, we talked about the fact that we may never know in our lifetime why God sent our son to us the way he did. I questioned myself to my friend saying, “What if I had been induced 1 or 2 weeks earlier? What if he were born before this “acute trauma” had a chance to happen?” My mind was telling me that I was ready for Noah to be born. Was it a sign? She of course assures me that God’s will was done. If he was meant to be born earlier, he would have been. So we struggle with the WHY? HOW? Though I may never understand to the fullest, I have already seen the amazing things that God is doing through Noah. Those who come to the blog often have probably read many of the comments. I have probably received as many in email as well. It is just an amazing thing to see the body of Christ form around our family and around Noah. Noah is bringing hope to others, bringing prayer back, and bringing the actions of Jesus out in so many people. I had 13 emails in my inbox tonight and I did not know a single person who emailed me…. and it wasn’t spam. It was 13 people who had heard word of this from someone and wrote incredibly kind and encouraging words to someone they do not know. I truly believe that God is using Noah and, according to many of you, using us as an instrument for his will. Though we struggle, though we are sad, though we are confused, God is using our life for good. And I will echo loudly the words of my husband, “I do not like being an instrument of God’s will.” But then neither did Jesus.

The days are getting harder as we come to terms with the idea that Noah may never get better. He may never open his eyes or talk or walk, or even eat. And that is hard to think about. We have are “ups” when we are encouraged by our family and friends like you, and our “downs” when the doctors must lay out the facts for us. We try to find a place in the middle to rest. Virgil pointed out to us that we are in a state of grief. Grieving for a baby that we lost. While Noah is alive, we did lose the baby that we were expecting for 9 months. We lost all the hopes and dreams that we had for that baby. I had not thought about it that way, and it helps explain alot of the feelings we have. We still must go through the grieving process for that baby.

I have decided to spend most of Wed and Thurs with Alyssa. I know that she is missing our “old” ways, and I want to give her some reassurance that Mommy and Daddy are still here. I want to spend time with her and love and hold her the way I wish I could with Noah. It is hard to choose which child to spend the day with, but for now I think Alyssa needs it more. We will visit Noah at night once Alyssa is in bed, so please pray for strength and perserverence for the next couple of days. I think they will be long.

God bless all of you who support and love us,
Julie

I suppose I used the word interesting on purpose. As if in fear I didn’t want to believe that there could be bad news today. Truthfully, there isn’t bad news just more of the same as Noah is neurologically in the same state. The docs confirmed what we feared; that my son is making minimal progress. It is hard to take especially the problems with his suck/gag reflex. He remains hypertonic and is really having trouble breathing when he is on his back.

The good news is he may be moved from the level III NICU this week to level II. I don’t really know what this means but there will be new nurses and doctors to look after him. They will be planning and treating him for long-term care.

I have hit my finger with a hammer. Never done it twice in a row. That’s what today feels like. I cling to my favorite verse: Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I really could use the hope part today.

Pray for Julie. She will be at home with Alyssa tonight and I will remain at the hospital. I love you guys and I can feel the power your prayers. – Ethan

So now that we posted some good news, the car hits the top of the hill, and starts back down for our next turn.
Went to see Noah at lunch, and the Dr’s had stopped by(Neuro). They were not looking at his level of reflexes or coughs, or twitches, but his brain patterns and other signs such as gagging reflex and sucking. These have not changed. And since they haven’t, they seem less hopeful the longer he stays “stable” or constant.

So, therefore, as it says in scripture, pray continually.
-steve

Today Noah is 1 week old. Yet it seems like its been 2months. I just talked to mom, and thought I’d send out a little update on how Noah is doing today. Julie and Ethan, who will probably post with more detail, went up to hospital this morning, to meet and work with the PT(physical therapist). While doing some leg movements Noah let out a big cough. Something he has not done before. Also, he has had hiccups, like most little ones do, but today the hiccups started coming out with some sound to them.(last week it has only been his chest moving up and down.)

I’m heading up to see my little nephew during lunch. Thank you for your prayers, and ENCOURAGING comments. Sometimes its hard to know what to say, or how to say it, or how to share your concern or worries. I heard it said once, or maybe many times, that maybe its best to just say “I wish I could say something….” and leave it to God to show the arms of your concern. But then again, our best example of how to show our love can be seen from our best Friend, Jesus in John 11:35.