WOODLAND TEEN Noah Lefever has recently endured nine surgeries after a mass was found in his brain. Friends and family have organized two fundraisers in the area on Sat., March 21.
WOODLAND – Friends and family of Woodland teenager, Noah Lefever, will host two fundraisers Sat., March 21.
Lefever was in the midst of his freshman year at Woodland High School when he began suffering from severe headaches that evolved into migraines accompanied by bouts of confusion.
His mother, Amanda, took him to the doctor on Jan. 5, when Noah became severely ill during one of these episodes. After a CT scan came back as showing a large mass in Noah's brain he was admitted immediately to Randall Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel in Portland.
After two major and two removal surgeries, the doctors deemed the tumor to be non cancerous and slow growing. A small portion of the tumor had to be left as it was wrapped around Noah's optic nerve. The Lefever family's relief was short lived when after the surgeries doctors noticed that his fluids were not draining properly from his brain.
Noah found himself on his way back into surgery to replace his shunts, when the procedure was immediately halted because Noah's temperature spiked to over 104 degrees and his blood pressure rapidly dropped due to an infection that had spread in his brain.
Noah has now undergone a total of nine surgeries. It has taken weeks for Noah to stabilize from this infection. There were times when doctors and family were unsure if he would be able to beat this. During this period of time, Noah was unable to speak for at least two weeks and at times suffered from temporary paralysis. His parents, Amanda and Jeremy Lefever, have spent every night by his side at the hospital. Noah's sister, Hayley, has spent her time working to finish her senior year at Woodland High School and making visits to the hospital.
Just recently, Noah has been moved from intensive care but remains at the hospital to undergo an intense therapy regimen that includes physical, speech, occupational, and art therapy. The family anticipates Noah to remain in the hospital for another 2-3 weeks. The timeline for full recovery is still unclear.
When asked how Noah is doing now, Amanda replied, "He is doing well physically. His sense of humor has come back and we are really starting to see his personality come back. He does struggle with short term memory loss. Every day we have to explain to him what has happened and why he is here. We take it day by day. For every bad moment there comes a good moment that gives us hope."
To help the Lefever family, friends and family have coordinated two fundraising events to be held on Sat., March 21. The first event will take place at Hazel Dell Lanes in Vancouver beginning at 1 p.m. This is a family-friendly event where attendees can sponsor lanes and bid on highly desirable items during a live auction.
The Fat Moose, in Woodland, is the site of the second fundraiser that begins at 7 p.m. There will be a raffle with items donated by area businesses and a live band to entertain the crowd. Admission to each event is $5. Funds raised will go directly to the Lefever family.
Those who would like to help but can not attend these events may donate through Noah's gofundme page at, http://www.gofundme.com/jyft6g.
