Just updated the description and Im going to share it on this status so anyone that doesnt know what is going on can get a general idea. This page was created to support the Nichols family, give updates as I am updated, promote awareness about Noel, spread the word about fundraising, and most importantly to ask people to Pray for her. Feel free to share stories, pictures, ideas for fundraising, encouragement or anything else that you think might make her smile! Thank yall SO SO MUCH. Noel Nichols is a phenomenal 21 year old from Meridian, Ms that is battling cystic fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease she has had since birth. This past year has been, by far, the most difficult of her life. In the last 13 months, she has spent collectively 10 months at Blair E. Batson Childrens Hospital in Jackson, Ms. She has gone through numerous life-altering surgeries this year including having a permanent feeding tube put in place and having multiple feet of her intestine removed. At the beginning of 2013, she was in the hospital for four months straight and those close to her were very worried about the decline in her health but she bounced back and got to come home. Noel was home during the summer and worked very hard at physical therapy weekly to get her body stronger and fight this disease. In early August she was admitted to Batson for a 2 week stay for a mild infection in her lungs. She was home a week and had to go back because the infection had turned into double-pneumonia. She was in Batson for 6 weeks that stay. Since Noels favorite holiday is Halloween and she was doing better they let her come home and we thought all was well. She was only home one night because she kept spiking a fever and could not get her breathing under control. She was re admitted on Halloween of 2013 and has been there ever since. This stay has been the worst for Noel and the family. Noel was on her regular floor for about a week but she was on a high level of oxygen, had fits where she couldnt catch her breathe, had to be on constant monitoring, was so weak that she could not walk, was only eating by feeding tube bc her oxygen would drop so bad if she ate, and was having a host of other problems that range from feeding tube infection to kidney problems because of all of the medicines that she is on. After a week or so of all of this, they decided to put her into ICU and put her on a bipap breathing machine. The bipap is a machine that is fitted on her face and covers her nose and mouth and forces oxygen into her body. The first few days Noel was in ICU, she was in a rapid decline. They had to have multiple rapid response calls, she was having fits of tachycardia (rapid heartbeat, it got up to 165) and significant dips in her Oxygen levels. On Monday, November 18, 2013, at 12:47, I received a text from Cindy, Noels mom, saying that there was a rapid response team with her and her CO2 levels were high. It was in her bloodstream and toxic, Noel was completely unresponsive and the doctors told her family that they needed to let her go peacefully. The Nichols do not give up, Noel NEVER gives up, so the family chose to tell the doctors to do whatever it took to keep Noel here. Her CO2 levels dropped over night 20 points, she made it through what seemed impossible by the grace of GOD! Noel is currently in a step down ICU unit at Blair E. Batson. Since that day, she has had a few more rapid response calls. However, she is not as bad as she was. She has moments and periods where she is lucid and can speak (to the best of her ability, the bipap makes that very difficult), shes often too weak to text back but she can read and see everything. Most of the time she is sleeping and the bipap, although it is scary, is giving her body some much needed rest. There are still multiple very serious problems BUT Noel is still very positive. The most amazing thing about her is her unwavering positivity and faith in GOD. She NEVER complains, she APPRECIATES ever little gesture of kindness, she is beyond compassionate, she is also always so focused on being THANKFUL that its hard to remember she is sick at times. She is a bright, beautiful, intelligent, witty, AMAZING, CHRIST-LIKE person and she needs all the help, encouragement, and love she can get right now. This family is beyond amazing, her mother is her full time care taker and her dad works 3 jobs to provide for them. Their other daughter, Gracie, came home just to be with Noel during all of this. They are the definition of close and they always try to be there for everyone despite whatever circumstances they are coping with. Its time for them to receive some of the kindness they always put forth for others.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 00:59:48 +0000
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