#NOAHSTRONG

On Sunday, June 28, 2020, fifteen (15) year-old Noah Kostic was playing basketball with members of his family.  Around 3 PM, Noah went inside and began to feel severe heart palpitations.  Noah, a young athlete with a good, all-around kindness and personality, had assumed it was a normal side effect of playing outside in the sun.  However, what happened next almost ended his life.  Noah went into cardiac arrest - at 15 years of age.  Noah had to be resuscitated back to life.  He was rushed to the emergency room at St. Luke's Hospital and taken to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).  He was intubated and placed into a medically induced coma.  His oxygen levels dropped and his blood pressure constantly fluctuated.  The amazing staff at St. Luke's gathered information and took the necessary tests.  Almost immediately, Noah was diagnosed with a rare condition known as Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome.  WPW is a condition in which there is an extra electrical pathway in the heart.  This can result in shortness of breath, dizziness, passing out, rapid heart rate (tachycardia) and, in rare cases, full cardiac arrest and death.  Noah was one of those such rare circumstances.  And he nearly lost his life. While young Noah luckily survived his cardiac arrest, he has a long road to full recovery.  And there's no guarantee he will ever fully recover.  Already, Noah has had difficulty with memory and basic physical functioning.  While it appears that his brain did not lose a lot of oxygen, it is likely we will never know the true extent of the damage.  There are several forms of treatment for WPW patients.  In addition to medications, an artificial pacemaker and electrical shocks to the heart that restore normal rhythm (Electrical Cardioversion), the most common method of treatment is called Cardiac Ablation.  This is what has been recommended for Noah and he will be meeting his surgical team at the Penn State University Hershey Medical Center almost immediately upon release from the PICU.  This procedure involves destroying the extra electrical pathway in the heart.  This procedure generally treats 85-90% of patients with WPW.  For those who do not respond to the Cardiac Ablation, the only other alternative is open-heart surgery.  After surgery, Noah will be required to monitor his lifestyle in order to maintain a normal heartbeat.  For example, he will likely have to avoid caffeine, tobacco, alcohol and nasal decongestants.   The other common long term effects are depression, anxiety and fear.  At 15, this is simply unacceptable. While the emotional toll cannot be measured, the financial toll will be significant.  Aside from high medical deductibles, Noah's parents will need to be with him as he travels to Hershey and post-surgical physical and occupational therapy.  Neither parent is eligible for FMLA and neither parent has the benefit of short-term or long-term disability benefits.  Their plight is real.  Their fear is understandable.  Their predicament is dire.   For these reasons, we - the friends and family of Noah and his parents - are seeking monetary donations to assist with any short and long term financial necessities that relate to Noah's care.  A parent should be able to be with their child during these hard times.  And while we appreciate continued prayers for Noah and his parents, financial donations will most certainly help ease significant worries.  All donations are being earmarked specifically for the care and recovery of Noah Kostic.  We ask for your support as we walk this journey with Noah.  We have developed the phrase: #NOAHSTRONG in an effort to boost his spirits and show our support.  We will be setting up a hyperlink to the #NOAHSTRONG Facebook page where you can hear from Noah's parents, see updates and monitor his progress.  We greatly appreciate your support.   While our goal is $10,000.00, we believe this amount may be too small.  However, we hope and pray that you will also help by sharing our page and using #NOAHSTRONG in your comments.  On behalf of Noah's family, we thank you for your generosity.