Donation protected
Our 15-year-old son, Noah Wertley, had brain surgery in October of 2015 for a brain condition called Chiari Malformation. Basically, his brain is falling into his spinal canal. A “simple” surgery has turned into an absolute nightmare for Noah and our whole family.
When Noah woke up from his surgery, he started to throw up and didn’t stop for months. During that time, he lost 50lbs, and the doctors were not able to keep the nausea and vomiting under control. The doctors sent him to every specialist you can think of, trying to figure out why this was happening. However, they refused to do any MRI’s or CAT scans, saying that the symptoms could not possibly be related to the surgery. We were told his symptoms were due to various causes ~ ranging from him needing bi-focals to acid reflux ~ but never the real reason.
Finally, we decided to rush him to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where they were able to see that the symptoms were from his surgery. Within 48 hours of being seen at CHOP, Noah’s nausea symptoms were alleviated by giving him steroids to reduce the swelling and pressure on his brain stem caused by his surgery. Noah lost 50lbs and endured 5 months of flu-like symptoms and severe headaches, when all he needed at that point was a round of steroids to reduce the swelling. Noah, however, had to stay at CHOP for an additional 2 ½ weeks due to severe malnutrition.
Noah returned home, and we all had a sense of excitement until his steroid regimen was over. Within a couple days, all of his symptoms were back. The doctors at CHOP ordered him another round of steroids, but this time it didn’t work. With more MRI’s and CAT scans, we found out that the scar tissue from the surgery, was now blocking the flow of cerebral spinal fluid, causing pressure on his brain stem. In addition, the large syrinx on his spinal cord from the Chiari had gotten larger. The surgeons at CHOP suggested that we should see a doctor named Jeffrey Greenfield in New York City.
The problem with this is that our insurance would not cover Noah seeing Dr. Greenfield. By the grace of God, upon hearing of Noah’s condition and what happened, Dr. Greenfield waved his fees so that he could at least see Noah for an initial consultation. During this visit, we found out that Noah will need another surgery in the next few weeks in order to be able to lead a normal life, and be able to go back to school. He will need to build Noah’s skull back up so he is able to reattach the muscles and put a stent through the scar tissue to restore normal flow of fluid to his brain and spinal cord. He is the only brain surgeon that specializes in this surgery.
If anyone is able to help, we would very much appreciate it. Even sharing Noah’s story with as many friends as possible would be an incredible help.
Any and all donations will be used solely for medical expenses, transportation to, from, and in New York City, food and lodging, and basically any other costs involved with this surgery. We are so very thankful for any donations given to make our son's surgery possible. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read our post.
When Noah woke up from his surgery, he started to throw up and didn’t stop for months. During that time, he lost 50lbs, and the doctors were not able to keep the nausea and vomiting under control. The doctors sent him to every specialist you can think of, trying to figure out why this was happening. However, they refused to do any MRI’s or CAT scans, saying that the symptoms could not possibly be related to the surgery. We were told his symptoms were due to various causes ~ ranging from him needing bi-focals to acid reflux ~ but never the real reason.
Finally, we decided to rush him to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where they were able to see that the symptoms were from his surgery. Within 48 hours of being seen at CHOP, Noah’s nausea symptoms were alleviated by giving him steroids to reduce the swelling and pressure on his brain stem caused by his surgery. Noah lost 50lbs and endured 5 months of flu-like symptoms and severe headaches, when all he needed at that point was a round of steroids to reduce the swelling. Noah, however, had to stay at CHOP for an additional 2 ½ weeks due to severe malnutrition.
Noah returned home, and we all had a sense of excitement until his steroid regimen was over. Within a couple days, all of his symptoms were back. The doctors at CHOP ordered him another round of steroids, but this time it didn’t work. With more MRI’s and CAT scans, we found out that the scar tissue from the surgery, was now blocking the flow of cerebral spinal fluid, causing pressure on his brain stem. In addition, the large syrinx on his spinal cord from the Chiari had gotten larger. The surgeons at CHOP suggested that we should see a doctor named Jeffrey Greenfield in New York City.
The problem with this is that our insurance would not cover Noah seeing Dr. Greenfield. By the grace of God, upon hearing of Noah’s condition and what happened, Dr. Greenfield waved his fees so that he could at least see Noah for an initial consultation. During this visit, we found out that Noah will need another surgery in the next few weeks in order to be able to lead a normal life, and be able to go back to school. He will need to build Noah’s skull back up so he is able to reattach the muscles and put a stent through the scar tissue to restore normal flow of fluid to his brain and spinal cord. He is the only brain surgeon that specializes in this surgery.
If anyone is able to help, we would very much appreciate it. Even sharing Noah’s story with as many friends as possible would be an incredible help.
Any and all donations will be used solely for medical expenses, transportation to, from, and in New York City, food and lodging, and basically any other costs involved with this surgery. We are so very thankful for any donations given to make our son's surgery possible. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read our post.
Organizer
Seth Wertley
Organizer
Hummelstown, PA