HEARTBEAT A publication of Ronald McDonald House Charities ® of St. Louis FALL/WINTER 2012 • 314.773.1100 • WWW.RMHCSTL.COM
Noah’s Story
ST. LOUIS
IN A MATTER OF MONTHS, NOAH JAMES’ LIFE WAS TURNED UPSIDE-DOWN.
Amy James and her son, Noah, at the Ronald McDonald House in August 2012. On December 20, 2011, 15-year-old Noah James finished his last final exam before winter break. But he wasn’t feeling well — he had contracted a fever and a cough, which lasted about 72 hours. Nearly a month later, he still didn’t feel like himself. And even after several rounds of antibiotics, he was unable to rejoin his friends on the swim team. By the end of January 2012, he was admitted to a hospital in Evansville, Indiana, just a short distance from his hometown of Boonville. Eventually, he was transferred to a hospital in Louisville,
Kentucky, so that he could be seen by a pediatric pulmonologist. More than a week later, on his 16th birthday, Noah was released from the ICU in Louisville. However, he and his family left without answers, even after a lung biopsy. Another month passed, and Noah was still sick. His parents, Amy and Robby, took him to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, more than a 3-hour drive from their home. Doctors discovered that he was suffering from a rare and life-threatening form of non-reversible obstructive lung
disease, bronchiolitis obliterans. His small airway branches were being compressed and narrowed by inflammation. They then heard the news they were least expecting: Noah would need a lung transplant. The James family was faced with a choice — stay in Indianapolis or travel to St. Louis Children’s Hospital, which specializes in pediatric lung transplants. For Amy, the decision was easy. The two hospitals were nearly equidistant from their hometown, but the roads to St. Louis were better in case the transplant process took them into winter, and she wanted Noah to have the expert care of pediatric physicians. At the end of May 2012, Noah’s family traveled to St. Louis, where they lived in a hotel room for three days before a longterm apartment at the Ronald McDonald House became available. When it did, the James’ were beyond grateful. “It’s phenomenal,” says Amy of the “home-away-from-home” she and Noah shared from May until September. Noah received his transplant on June 14, 2012, less than three weeks after the big move. Following surgery, he spent only 11 days in the hospital, a remarkable recovery. “We’re close enough to home that home can visit us,” says Amy, noting that Noah’s father, brother and sister are able to visit two or three weekends a month. “The Ronald McDonald House keeps us all together in a very ‘home-like’ setting. We’re so thankful.” Noah returned to Boonville in midSeptember, where he was welcomed by more than 300 people while riding in a fire truck. Noah is scheduled to return to St. Louis in December for a 6-month check-up. This time, the James family hopes to stay at the Ronald McDonald House for less than a week.