Happy birthday Noah!

Out west in Tennesse, Noah celebrated his 8th birthday and is Casey Cares' 954th birthday this year! 

Casey Cares understands that for a critically ill child, each birthday is a special milestone celebrating life. For the children in our programs, it not only marks another year, but it also demonstrates a great achievement. Every year, Casey Cares staff and volunteers work hard to send out each of our kids a special birthday package through our Birthday Blast program - there's over 1,000 that we send! This simple act of kindness delivers joy and hope to our kids who are undergoing harsh treatment.

Beginning in 2018

On July 25, 2018, at just 3.5 years old, Noah was diagnosed with high-risk B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. His mother, Martha, states, "He had surgery to place a port and began chemo immediately." When the harsh chemo began, so did his complications. "He lost 15% of his body weight while on steroids and required a feeding tube. He had severe neuropathy and stopped walking, sitting up, and at his worse, was unable to hold his head up or turn himself in bed," Martha says. 

For 830 days, Noah remained in active treatment and was declared cancer-free on November 1, 2020. 

"For eleven months, he was doing so well," Martha continues, "but unfortunately, he relapsed on October 14, 2021 at 6.5 years old. He was placed on a clinical trial that involved chemo, immunotherapy, and steroids."

As caregivers of critically ill children know, these treatments usually become even more involved and its effects are felt for years. Martha said, "Over the last four years, he has required 20 blood and platelet transfusions. Noah has spent over 120 nights in the hospital. He has required three years of occupational therapy and physical therapy. He has had eight central lines, four ports, two PICC lines, and two broviacs"

If a relapse does happen again, Noah's brother Maddox "is a perfect 10/10 match for a bone marrow transplant," Martha states.

Casey Cares Serves Kids Across the U.S.

Though Casey Cares is based in Columbia, Maryland, the foundation serves children all along the East Coast and parts of the Midwest. Still, we provide uplifiting programs to critically ill children in any state that applies to our programs and is accepted.

During his relapse, Noah joined Casey Cares in February 2022. Noah has enjoyed getting yarn wigs to wear, at-home Movie & PJ nights for the family, and a Lego set thanks to Casey Cares.  

Martha says, "Noah loved the Lego set he received from Casey Cares. It helped distract him from his cancer treatments and gave him something to do when his energy was low. It was also something his brothers helped him with and he loved the one-on-one time they gave to him as they all worked on the Lego set."

Regarding Casey Cares, "My favorite part about Casey Cares is how intimate and personal the relationship between the organization and the patient becomes. They learned Noah's interests, send emails regularly, and generally care about the kids and their families," stated Martha.

All About Noah

As the youngest of five kids, Noah is a lover of all things Spiderman, Fortnite, Pokémon and playing baseball and basketball. 

"He has a witty personality and a heart of gold. He loves to take care of others and likes to make everyone laugh," says Martha.

His mother concludes, "Noah will end treatment in October of 2023. Although Noah has a hard fight ahead of him, he will be a cancer survivor once again."

You can support critically ill children like Noah this holiday season right here!