created 01/25/02

06/06/02 It is with my deepest sadness that I inform you Noah Daniel Currey passed away about 8:30 a.m. this morning.    Noah Daniel was born to Joe and Dee Currey on February 8, 2001. His infancy was a normal one until around the first of this year 2002. Noah began getting sick around the 14th of December with mild fevers which his parents thought were due to teething. By December 21 the fevers were hight (103.9) so they went to the E.R. and were told he had double ear infections. After 10 days of being on antibiotics, he still was having high fevers. The double ear infections were gone but he was placed in the hospital New Years Day, the doctors thinking he had phenomena even though he had no cough. He was placed on I.V. antibiotics and after 5 days was released from the hospital.     Within a couple of days his fevers began to spike again and once again he was back at the hospital for chest x-ray's, and blood work.     As his follow up appointment with his doctor on Tuesday approached, he began to spike high fevers again on Monday. The doctor suggested they wait until Tuesday morning and bring him into the clinic. Two days of the appointment (Jan. 6) Dee had noticed a lump in Noah's stomach that was about the size of the top of a tennis ball. She asked her husband Joe if he had noticed it before but he hadn't. When they got to the doctors' office the doctor came in the room and asked said "Hi" Dee replied "Hello! Noah has a lump in his stomach" Dee said the doctor looked like she didn't believe her at first and she gave Noah a check up. After all the questions and her exam (eyes, ears, etc.) she then felt the lump in his stomach. The Doctor looked shocked and her face turned from a smile to a panic. She had another Doctor examine him. At that the Doctor knew that it was more than they could handle in the town they live in, so she advised Dee and Joe to take Noah to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.     There he was admitted and a CAT scan was done which determined a tumor in his liver. A biopsy was scheduled and during that time they placed a central line in his chest. The biopsy proved to be a malignant cancerous tumor. By Friday January 11 the tumor had grown to the size of a one-dimensional football in his liver. His weight kept going up, as did his measurements around his abdomen. He had massive swelling in his legs and feet.     On Saturday the doctors did not feel they could wait until Monday or Tuesday for the report to come back as to what sort of Cancer Noah had. So they started what they called a shotgun approach and began his chemo that night assuming it was a Rhabdoid tumor, (although they did not tell us that was their assumption).     He had three day's of chemo, during which time he would get red blood cells and platelets and plasma as needed. He also received the Lipids (fats) and TPN nutrients. He was still allowed to nurse from his mother during this time.     On Tuesday January 15th the Doctors did confirm that it was in deed a Rhabdoid tumor. They told Dee and Joe his chances of survival were 1 in 10. I guess what shocked me was the Doctor told Dee and Joe they had the option not to give Noah the treatments if they wanted to choose that option. I think it really shocked them as well. As Joe said, maybe he only has a 10% chance of survival but with God nothing is impossible. We are praying for a MIRACLE HEALING and hope to have people all over the world praying for his healing.     At the top range his abdomen measured 55 cm. And his weight was 23 lb. Which was a 5-pound increase in one week's time. Finally after a few days they did get his water weight down and his legs began to look normal again. His measurements and weight started to drop as well. The last time I was told a weight and measurement he weighed 19.6 lb. And his abdomen was 49 cm. That was on January 24. He currently measures at 44.5 cm. and weights 19 pounds 2 ounces.     Noah was released from the hospital on Friday January 25. Since he was able to keep his food down and his fevers are down they allowed him to go home until his next treatments begin. He went to his clinic appointment on January 31,2002 and had a CAT scan and blood work but they did not have room to admit him at that time. He was admitted on February 2,2002 for his second round of Chemo treatments. The doctors did another CAT scan before they begin the second set of treatments to see if there has been any change in the size of the tumor. The tumor didn't grow but they don't think it shrank any either.     Noah's tumor is inoperable as it is right now because it is too large. The Doctors told Dee and Joe that if they were to operate Noah would bleed to death because the tumor has his liver stretched to more than 3 times the size of an adult liver. The Doctors also told Dee and Joe that Noah's chances of survival are 1 in 10.     The last time I saw Noah was last weekend (Jan. 20 and 21) when I stayed at the hospital for the weekend to help his mom take care of him. My daughter had taken me up to the hospital and she played with Noah for a while. She made him smile and even got him to laugh. That felt so good to see him smiling and laughing again. I think that was probably about the first time he had smiled or laughed in several weeks at least.     Noah has 2 older brothers, Adam age 10, and Isaac age 8. He also has a sister Johanna age 4.     As Noah's condition and treatments go along I will keep updating his page so that everyone can see how he is doing and say a prayer for him. Noah has a Benefit Fund set up for him if you are interested in helping the family out in any way. That information is below. Noah Currey Benefit Fund TCF National Bank 7111 - 74th Place Kenosha, WI 53142 888-823-5463