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Love, faith and blogging
  
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By Chris Michlewicz
People deal with a sick family member in different ways. Some talk it out. Some close down.
One Castle Rock mom chose to share her story through the wonders of technology.
From the time she became pregnant in late 2005, Adrienne Graves knew her little boy would be special. Although there were no complications during the pregnancy, the Graves family soon found that Noah was not a perfectly healthy baby.
“I just didn’t feel right,” Graves said. “I knew in my gut that something wasn’t right.”
In just his first few weeks, Noah developed a rash, severe diarrhea and grew weaker as doctors at The Children’s Hospital in Denver tried to identify the illness. They ran a battery of tests, even sending stool and blood samples to the Centers for Disease Control for testing. The physicians initially thought Noah had contracted a virus, but when he would not respond to treatments, they searched for other causes.
An MRI revealed an irregularity in the white matter of his brain, although they were not able to pinpoint exactly what it was. The only times Noah seemed to perk up was when he was fed formula mixed breast milk. However, with the predominant thought that “breast is best” for babies, a nurse began diluting the formula with more of Graves’ milk without receiving permission.
Noah grew weaker and was sent to the intensive care unit, where he was put on a ventilator. It was disheartening for Graves and her husband, Jason, because they did not want to have to make the ultimate decision to remove him from the oxygen machine.
It was around this time that Graves began using a blog to share the ups and downs the family was experiencing at the hospital. The blog was initially intended to update family and friends on Noah’s condition, but it grew by word of mouth, and Graves soon had thousands of visitors to www.noahsteven.blogspot.com.
It was therapeutic to share Noah’s story, and the outpouring of sympathy and support was overwhelming. Graves was being recognized in the grocery store, and strangers were sending her gifts through the mail. It was her strong faith in God that kept her hopes alive and helped her cope with the confusing and exhausting ordeal.
Around Christmas 2007, Adrienne and Jason Graves made the decision to “give him to God one night” and pray for divine intervention. The doctors told the family they had done all they could for Noah, and the Graves’ tried a holistic approach with little success.
They found out that the boy’s illness could be linked to Lyme disease, which Adrienne Graves had unknowingly passed on to her son. It was never even considered a possibility.
Noah passed away June 12, 2007 after seven months of fighting.
Readers of the “Noah Steven” blog were devastated by the news and rallied around the family. Graves continued to write about her pain and sorrow, but also how she was using her deep faith to cope with her loss. To date, the blog has recorded more than 400,000 unique hits
She has since launched her own women’s bible study called “The Well” and has her own faith-based show on Castle Rock Radio. Graves’ story has reached all corners of the country and continues to give hope and understanding to those who have lost someone special.
“At ‘The Well’ we believe everyone is a big deal, that each of us has a story. Our study is about the stories that impact people’s lives and their communities,” Graves said. “It’s a place where we won’t shy away from the hard questions, like ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ or ‘What is my purpose?’”
Despite the fact that Noah is no longer on this Earth, the eye-opening teachings based on his story continue to help those who so desperately need it.
One Castle Rock mom chose to share her story through the wonders of technology.
From the time she became pregnant in late 2005, Adrienne Graves knew her little boy would be special. Although there were no complications during the pregnancy, the Graves family soon found that Noah was not a perfectly healthy baby.
“I just didn’t feel right,” Graves said. “I knew in my gut that something wasn’t right.”
In just his first few weeks, Noah developed a rash, severe diarrhea and grew weaker as doctors at The Children’s Hospital in Denver tried to identify the illness. They ran a battery of tests, even sending stool and blood samples to the Centers for Disease Control for testing. The physicians initially thought Noah had contracted a virus, but when he would not respond to treatments, they searched for other causes.
An MRI revealed an irregularity in the white matter of his brain, although they were not able to pinpoint exactly what it was. The only times Noah seemed to perk up was when he was fed formula mixed breast milk. However, with the predominant thought that “breast is best” for babies, a nurse began diluting the formula with more of Graves’ milk without receiving permission.
Noah grew weaker and was sent to the intensive care unit, where he was put on a ventilator. It was disheartening for Graves and her husband, Jason, because they did not want to have to make the ultimate decision to remove him from the oxygen machine.
It was around this time that Graves began using a blog to share the ups and downs the family was experiencing at the hospital. The blog was initially intended to update family and friends on Noah’s condition, but it grew by word of mouth, and Graves soon had thousands of visitors to www.noahsteven.blogspot.com.
It was therapeutic to share Noah’s story, and the outpouring of sympathy and support was overwhelming. Graves was being recognized in the grocery store, and strangers were sending her gifts through the mail. It was her strong faith in God that kept her hopes alive and helped her cope with the confusing and exhausting ordeal.
Around Christmas 2007, Adrienne and Jason Graves made the decision to “give him to God one night” and pray for divine intervention. The doctors told the family they had done all they could for Noah, and the Graves’ tried a holistic approach with little success.
They found out that the boy’s illness could be linked to Lyme disease, which Adrienne Graves had unknowingly passed on to her son. It was never even considered a possibility.
Noah passed away June 12, 2007 after seven months of fighting.
Readers of the “Noah Steven” blog were devastated by the news and rallied around the family. Graves continued to write about her pain and sorrow, but also how she was using her deep faith to cope with her loss. To date, the blog has recorded more than 400,000 unique hits
She has since launched her own women’s bible study called “The Well” and has her own faith-based show on Castle Rock Radio. Graves’ story has reached all corners of the country and continues to give hope and understanding to those who have lost someone special.
“At ‘The Well’ we believe everyone is a big deal, that each of us has a story. Our study is about the stories that impact people’s lives and their communities,” Graves said. “It’s a place where we won’t shy away from the hard questions, like ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ or ‘What is my purpose?’”
Despite the fact that Noah is no longer on this Earth, the eye-opening teachings based on his story continue to help those who so desperately need it.
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