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Nathans Corner of the Web 
Welcome to Nathan's Web Page. It has been provided to keep people updated about our Child.
Nathan’s banner made with love by the Big Brave Banner Site
UPDATE:December 30, 2007
Hello everyone!! It's been awhile since I've been able to update. We moved and did not have internet access to our new home. We FINALLY got hooked up! PRAISE GOD! I just checked Nathan's guest book and it's always great to hear from our old friends who've been praying for Nathan all this time. I want to say a Big THANK YOU to you all for your continued prayers.We're so blessed to have so many friends on praying ground! Thank you!
P.S. I added a new current photo of Nathan on his photo album so you can check it out. I've tried unsuccessfully to add it to his homepage but for some reason it won't allow me. I'll keep working on it but for now, you can view it in his photo album all the way at the bottom of the page.
We're all settled into our new home in the country and love it! Nathan's got room to run and just be a boy, or should I say, young man now. He's 14 years old now, PRAISE THE LORD! God has been so good to us! He always has his hand on Nathan at all times. He still surprises the Dr.'s with his good health. He's growing like a weed. Still has a few problems but nothing to really complain about. We're thankful for each good day that comes. He's been experienciing his nausea at times again, but he just takes his med's and he's back and running again. He doesn't let this slow him down. I've learned alot through Nathan. He's my hero. I praise God I'm watching him grow up into a young man. There were times we weren't so sure we'd be able to experience that. But God's good...all the time!! Nathan has maintained his wonderful attitude and sense of humor thoughout all of this, if anything, it's made it better. You have to laugh at life otherwise you'd go crazy! Nathan always keeps us laughing. We keep telling him he needs to be a christian comedian. He's hilarious! I praise God for him. He's been a blessing to our lives. I couldn't ask for a better son. He still to this day has not given me one ounce of "teenage trouble" and any parent would say PRAISE GOD to that! He's special. God made him this way for a reason and we always thank Him for that. We never ask "why this had to happen to our son" we just say "Thank you Lord for the son you've given us" We could have NEVER asked for anything better than what we've recieved. God always gives His best and we trust Him.
So, for now, Nathan's still hanging in there and doing okay. Growing into a handsome young man. Now that I have the internet back, I'll be updating more frequently. Until the next time, thank you again for your prayers. May God bless each of you abundantly!
Lisa (Nate's Mom)
P.S.
Nathan was interviewed by our local newspaper to do a story on him. I took an article into the newspaper I'd written publicly thanking his elementary school for all the support and encouragment they have given Nathan during this ordeal. I recieved a phone call the next day asking if they could do an article on him.
To view this article, visit the links posted at the bottom of this page.
Journal
Sunday, April 24, 2005 3:01 AM CDT Thank you for visiting Nathan's page. Nathan was diagnosed with NF1 (Neurofibromatosis) a little over a year ago. NF is a mutated chromosone disorder that is gene inherited. Nathan's daddy is the carrier. Out of 13 family members in my husbands family, 10 have been diagnosed with this disorder. We have already lost one nephew (Robert) at age 13 to this disease. His tumor was located in the same place as Nathans. But at that time, we had no clue that this disorder was running in our family. It was such a shock to lose Robert as such a young age, but his death was not in vain. His death has paved the way to informing the family of this disorder and having their own medical checks done with their family doctors and discovering that many in the family did indeed have this same disease. In doing so, it has spared the lives of two so far. We caught Nathans just in time. They told us his tumor had grown so large that it was just a matter of time before he could have quit breathing. We will forever miss Robert, but we know he is in a better place and is now FREE of this disease!
At this time, there is no known cure for Neurofibromatosis. But we keep praying for advances in further research into NF that might help our son and others who are stricken with this disorder.
Nathan has 1 very large tumor at the brain stem and 2 cystic lesions in the right lateral ventricle of his brain. The smaller ones do not pose much of a threat at this time, unless they continue to grow. His latest MRI shows that at some point in time, Nathan has had a stroke.
The largest tumor is located at the brainstem and it's length reaches all the way down to the 6th disc in his neck. He underwent emergency surgery Dec. 12, 2003 to remove the largest tumor but the surgeon was only able to remove about 40 percent of it. It has engulfed the spinal cord and it's bound with spinal nerves. They were unsuccessful in removing the tumor but they were able to alleviate some pressure and give him some time. They tell us any further surgeries will leave him impaired and should only take place as a last resort. To date, the tumor is stable but it did spread out after they gained him some room in the spinal coloum during surgery. We have to keep a watch on this with MRI's every 6 months.
Nathan also has problems daily with fatigue and nausea. The nausea is caused from where the tumor presses on the brainstem at what's called the "nausea center" of the brain. He also has some mild learning difficulties and trouble retaining short term memory. He also is experiencing problems with pain in his legs and feet due to nerve damage caused by the brainstem tumor. His neuroshocks have gotten much better, and we praise the Lord for that!
Nathan also has to be extremly careful to ensure that there is no forceful contact or pressure on the back of his neck. During his surgery the Dr. had to cut holes in his spine to allow a pressure release. The reasoning behind this is because when he was finishing up his surgery, he started to re-attach the spinal bone back into its correct place but it would no longer fit. (They lifted about 6 inches of his spine off to gain access to the tumor) The tumor had been compacted so tightly inside the spine that after he removed about 40 percent of it, the tumor started to expand right before the surgeons eyes. Nathan's surgeon explained it to me like this "The tumor acted like a dry sponge that had just had water added to it, it expanded" and because of this, the spinal bone wouldn't fit back into place. So what he did was improvise a little. He stitched the remaining tumor in on itself to keep it from expanding long enough to fit the bone back in place, then he cut the holes in the spine to allow a pressure release. *It's amazing what they can do now days, huh?* It was a little touch and go during that surgery because anytime the surgeon got too close to his nerves or the spinal cord, his pressures would drop drastically and he'd have to back away from that area and try removing some of the tumor at another angle. Anyway, because of these holes, he has to be careful not to be hit in the back of the neck. These holes leave his spinal cord exposed. Any trama in that area could leave him paralyzed.
Please keep him in your prayers. We accept that the Dr's have done all they can do and we know that Nathans healing will only come from the Lord. Nathan has a call upon his life to become a minister, like his daddy, and we trust that call will be fulfilled in Gods time. God has a special purpose for Nathan and we know the Lord will use this trial for His good.
This song was sent to me by a good friend shortly after Nathan was diagnosed. It really touched my heart and I found myself singing the chorus all the time, especially when I was pouring my heart out to the Lord over Nathan. If you can find the CD, buy it! It's an emotional song that any parent with an ill child can relate to.
Song written by Mark Schultz:
He's My Son
I'm down on my knees again tonight
I'm hoping this prayer will turn out right
See there is a boy that needs your help
I've done all that I can do myself
His mother is tired
I'm sure you can understand
Each night as he sleeps
She goes in to hold his hand
And she tries, not to cry
As the tears, fill her eyes...
(CHORUS)
Can you hear me?
Am I getting through tonight?
Can you see him?
Can you make him feel all right?
If You can hear me
Let me take his place somehow
See, he's not just anyone
He's my son!
Sometimes late at night I watch him sleep
I dream of the boy he'd like to be
I try to be strong and see him through
But God who he needs right now is You
Let him grow old
Live life without this fear
What would I be
Living without him here
He's so tired, and he's scared
Let him know, that You're there....
Can you hear me?
Can you see him?
Please don't leave him
He's my son.....
To find this song, visit the Mark Schultz website at: http://www.markschultzmusic.com/
Please sign the guest book below so Nathan will know that you have visited. Thanks and God bless!
Read Journal History
Links: http://www.kidsneedprayer.net/ This is a prayer page for ill children. Please visit and support this site. You will find Nathan currently as child # 74 (You will see his photo). Please join us in praying for all these children for their total healing............(This page has been temporarily shut down due to some problems but is currently under construction and will hopefully be up and running again soon. Check back at a later date.)
http://www.reporter-timesmodule=displaystory&story_id=23772&format=html Reporter Times. Visit this link to view the story that was done on Nathan
http://www.nf.org/ The National Neurofibromatosis Foundation. This is a very informative site on NF.
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