My Baby Overcame Cancer, by Kindra Longe

When my son, Noah, was born, it was the best day of my life. I was lucky

enough to be able to spend the first year at home with him. He was very good-natured,

and the time flew by. That is until one day after his bath I noticed that one of his testicles

was much bigger than the other. I thought it was strange, so I called his pediatrician,

and she had me bring him in. She didn’t know what it was, so she had me take him to

get an ultrasound done. Even after the ultrasound, they still did not know what it was, so

they did a CAT scan on him. They had to put an IV in him, and they put him in a little

baby gown. He cried a lot, and I thought to myself, this must be what it feels like for all

those parents who have kids with cancer. Little did I know that cancer was what Noah

had                  

After the CAT scan, they sent us to Children’s Hospital. We still did not

know what was wrong with Noah or what the lump was. At the hospital they put a gown

on him, and I fed him some supper while we anxiously waited for the doctor. The nurse

came in and told us we would be spending the night; we still had no idea what was

wrong. Finally the doctor came in. Noah was in the hospital crib, and I was standing by

the crib side, and we were playing with his toys. Adam, Noah’s dad and my fiancé, was

sitting on the couch in the room and was upset that nobody had told us why we were

still there. The doctor told us that Noah had a cancerous tumor. At that moment my stomach

twisted, my legs turned to Jell-O, and the tears began to pour out. The same thing must

have happened to Adam because when I finally looked up, he was crying, too. We both

couldn’t get a word out. Noah sat there as good as could be, only 6 and a half months

old.  He smiled at me, and as hard as I tried not to all I could do was cry.

The next day, the doctor discussed with us that one of his testicles would need to

be removed, but Noah would still be able to have kids. Since we did not have surgery

scheduled, we had to wait for an opening. Noah could not eat before the

surgery, and since they did not know when the surgery would be, he ended up not

eating or drinking all day. Noah made that day the easiest it could have been for us. He

did not cry once, but rather just played with his toys in the crib, oblivious to the fact that

anything was wrong. We couldn’t take him far because he had an IV in his ankle.

Noah’s two grandmas and grandpa came as did his Uncle Jake and a bunch of cousins.

Our pastor came also and prayed for him and encouraged us. Word spread like wildfire,

and everyone we knew and many people that we didn’t know prayed fervently for him.

With all the support and family we had there, it made us feel a lot more comforted. I

didn’t cry that entire day. I tried to be very positive about the situation, and I told myself

everything would turn out fine. Everyone bought Noah balloons, which he loves, and

stuffed animals. Finally the doctor and nurse came up to our room and it was time for

surgery.                                                                                                                       

Before the surgery all the nurses and doctors that would be working on Noah

talked to us and explained the procedure. They had decided not to put a tube in his

chest. Originally they had thought that he would need chemotherapy, but now they

thought he might not. We all gave Noah a kiss and a hug. That was when the tears

started for me, and it really hit me that my son, my favorite little guy, my baby, had

cancer.

After the surgery, they said things went very well, and that Noah had peed on

them while he was under. Noah got an award for being so brave. He woke up, and you

wouldn’t have ever guessed he just had surgery. He smiled at everyone, talked his baby

talk, and was the happiest little guy you’ve ever seen.  I was so proud of him, and very

relived that the surgery was finally over.

We left the hospital the next day, and the next week we returned to take

his blood and see if any of the cancer was still in him, and whether or not he would need

chemo. The doctor came in and gave us the best news ever! Noah would not need

chemo. The cancer was totally gone, and they said it would most likely never come

back. He did not have the cancer that spreads or comes back; he had the kind that you

simply take out, and it is gone.

Now Noah is 13 months old. He is a very smart, happy little boy, and every

day I am so thankful that I have him and that he is healthy. Our experience as parents

with a child who had cancer has made us closer as a family, especially for Adam and

Noah. It made me realize that people can be gone just like that. Our experience with

Noah really made me realize how many people love Noah, and care about our family. I

am not glad that Noah got cancer, but I did learn a lot from those few days. I learned

what it felt like to almost lose the person you love the most, your own child, and what it  

felt like to be totally helpless. I learned about all the people who supported us and

helped us make it through. The most important thing I learned was to never

take anybody for granted.  To enjoy every day, every minute, and every second that I

get to spend with Noah, because that time was so close to being over.

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