It takes a village to raise a child like me
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Miracles do happen. Help this miracle kid live his best life.
Noah is 14 years old and has cortical vision impairment. That means he is classified as blind. When he looks at the world he sees it as you would see the world looking through a kaleidoscope. On a scale of 1 to 10 10 being the worst he rates at a 4.5, and it's the center of his eyes where he sees the kaleidoscope. All his doctors and specialists believe he can see clearly out of his peripherals mainly just his left eye that works. Can you imagine going through life seeing a giant round kaleidoscope in the center half of your vision? Pretty scary if you think about it. Noah has cerebral palsy, and has the brain development of a 10 month old. He is unable to speak and he has a seizure disorder that left him severly disabled at 6 weeks old. I'll never forget the medical team at children's hospital telling his mother and I of we pull the plug they won't think any less of us. I didn't give up on him then and I never will. I've given up a four figure a week salary to care for him. I moved out of a nice place into public housing because I needed a wheelchair accessible residence. He was hospitalized in Jan of 2020, after it was agreed that his mother could no longer care for him due to Illness,and after months of trying to find a group home for him. The only place available was in Cumberland Virginia half a days drive from Pittsburgh. I received full custody of him last October so he wouldn't be shipped off away from those who love him and he loves unconditionally. Noah has a pure heart of gold soul who will leave an impression on you from the second you meet him. It has been rough especially with covid. Noah is in need of a wheelchair van. My Honda Accord is not big enough to fit a wheelchair in at all. I am in need of a wheelchair van and they cost close to $50,000 or more. There are many grants available that I have applied for and I have a few grand to throw down. But I need help to pay for the van. I am unable to work as I have to care for him because the Western Pennsylvania school for blind children is closed, and the waiting list for a nurse is expected to be over 2 years. I can't afford a vehicle payment at this time as his social security is the only income I have at the moment. Anybody who has dealt with unemployment knows good luck trying to get that. I'm a single father who needs good people in the world to pay it forward.
Noah barely leaves the house because his wheelchair is the only way he can get around. I will take him out maybe once a week just for a car ride to get him out of the house. He tries to break the car door window with his head sometimes and it's extremely frightening when he does it not realizing his upper body strength or how seriously he can injure himself. And pray there's a place to pull over and hold his head until he calms down. He is over 100 lb now and was only 60 lbs when I was contacted about his situation, at his then home 11 months ago. He just keeps growing faster than anyone involved with him expected. It is very difficult to carry him from my house to where the parking lot is at. Especially in icy conditions. So many good people have done so much to help him since I've got custody of him and this wheelchair van is the last thing that I need to take care of for him to be 100% set up to live a comfortable happy life. He is currently 14 and when he was an infant the doctors gave him a life expectancy of he'd live to about 20 years old, but he's a fighter and the doctors say he will live at least twice that, I predict with modern medicine he could live well into his 70's . I want to make sure he lives comfortably and is able to be mobile to go do recreational things or even go shopping with me and being able to point at stuff he wants. The YMCA is so beneficial and he loves the special equipment he can use to go swimming, it's the only exercise his legs get that don't cause him discomfort. But again how do I get him around safely? We use a service to get to his doctor's appointments but doing that involves being picked up way earlier than the appointment having to wait around children's hospital or the doctor's office and with covid they don't let you in the office all the time right away. Then you call them after the appointment and they don't even show up to pick you up for two three hours sometimes. I know he gets cabin fever being cooped up in the house even though he can't talk so that's why I take him for car rides but I can't even take him out in his wheelchair and do stuff with him last time I tried to fit it in the trunk of my Honda Accord I broke it and it took them two months to order the part and get here to fix it.
I've been given a second chance at life and I wouldn't have had the opportunity to take custody of him and his younger brother had it not been for a 12-step program I've been involved with for the last two and a half years. I normally go to three to four-12-step meetings a week but since I got custody of him I've gone to maybe three total. (And anybody who knows what I am explaining.) Meeting makers make it. This has been the most stressful time of my 39 years. And I am certain if I'm not able to take him and go to these gatherings and service commitments, all the progress and changes I've made for myself, so that I can take care of him and his sibling's. The children will be the first thing I loose.
Please America. I used to walk 15 miles to work on Sundays because I'm to proud to even ask for a ride. But this is my son and there is nothing I wouldn't do to provide for him. I always thought asking for help was a show of weakness. But now I see that it takes a village to raise a child this special.
Noah is 14 years old and has cortical vision impairment. That means he is classified as blind. When he looks at the world he sees it as you would see the world looking through a kaleidoscope. On a scale of 1 to 10 10 being the worst he rates at a 4.5, and it's the center of his eyes where he sees the kaleidoscope. All his doctors and specialists believe he can see clearly out of his peripherals mainly just his left eye that works. Can you imagine going through life seeing a giant round kaleidoscope in the center half of your vision? Pretty scary if you think about it. Noah has cerebral palsy, and has the brain development of a 10 month old. He is unable to speak and he has a seizure disorder that left him severly disabled at 6 weeks old. I'll never forget the medical team at children's hospital telling his mother and I of we pull the plug they won't think any less of us. I didn't give up on him then and I never will. I've given up a four figure a week salary to care for him. I moved out of a nice place into public housing because I needed a wheelchair accessible residence. He was hospitalized in Jan of 2020, after it was agreed that his mother could no longer care for him due to Illness,and after months of trying to find a group home for him. The only place available was in Cumberland Virginia half a days drive from Pittsburgh. I received full custody of him last October so he wouldn't be shipped off away from those who love him and he loves unconditionally. Noah has a pure heart of gold soul who will leave an impression on you from the second you meet him. It has been rough especially with covid. Noah is in need of a wheelchair van. My Honda Accord is not big enough to fit a wheelchair in at all. I am in need of a wheelchair van and they cost close to $50,000 or more. There are many grants available that I have applied for and I have a few grand to throw down. But I need help to pay for the van. I am unable to work as I have to care for him because the Western Pennsylvania school for blind children is closed, and the waiting list for a nurse is expected to be over 2 years. I can't afford a vehicle payment at this time as his social security is the only income I have at the moment. Anybody who has dealt with unemployment knows good luck trying to get that. I'm a single father who needs good people in the world to pay it forward.
Noah barely leaves the house because his wheelchair is the only way he can get around. I will take him out maybe once a week just for a car ride to get him out of the house. He tries to break the car door window with his head sometimes and it's extremely frightening when he does it not realizing his upper body strength or how seriously he can injure himself. And pray there's a place to pull over and hold his head until he calms down. He is over 100 lb now and was only 60 lbs when I was contacted about his situation, at his then home 11 months ago. He just keeps growing faster than anyone involved with him expected. It is very difficult to carry him from my house to where the parking lot is at. Especially in icy conditions. So many good people have done so much to help him since I've got custody of him and this wheelchair van is the last thing that I need to take care of for him to be 100% set up to live a comfortable happy life. He is currently 14 and when he was an infant the doctors gave him a life expectancy of he'd live to about 20 years old, but he's a fighter and the doctors say he will live at least twice that, I predict with modern medicine he could live well into his 70's . I want to make sure he lives comfortably and is able to be mobile to go do recreational things or even go shopping with me and being able to point at stuff he wants. The YMCA is so beneficial and he loves the special equipment he can use to go swimming, it's the only exercise his legs get that don't cause him discomfort. But again how do I get him around safely? We use a service to get to his doctor's appointments but doing that involves being picked up way earlier than the appointment having to wait around children's hospital or the doctor's office and with covid they don't let you in the office all the time right away. Then you call them after the appointment and they don't even show up to pick you up for two three hours sometimes. I know he gets cabin fever being cooped up in the house even though he can't talk so that's why I take him for car rides but I can't even take him out in his wheelchair and do stuff with him last time I tried to fit it in the trunk of my Honda Accord I broke it and it took them two months to order the part and get here to fix it.
I've been given a second chance at life and I wouldn't have had the opportunity to take custody of him and his younger brother had it not been for a 12-step program I've been involved with for the last two and a half years. I normally go to three to four-12-step meetings a week but since I got custody of him I've gone to maybe three total. (And anybody who knows what I am explaining.) Meeting makers make it. This has been the most stressful time of my 39 years. And I am certain if I'm not able to take him and go to these gatherings and service commitments, all the progress and changes I've made for myself, so that I can take care of him and his sibling's. The children will be the first thing I loose.
Please America. I used to walk 15 miles to work on Sundays because I'm to proud to even ask for a ride. But this is my son and there is nothing I wouldn't do to provide for him. I always thought asking for help was a show of weakness. But now I see that it takes a village to raise a child this special.
Organizer
Dave Eiler
Organizer
Ambridge, PA