Thank you family and friends

Friends and Family,

We don't know how to thank you all enough for the love and support you have all shown us. We are heartbroken for the loss of our precious son, Jonah, and we will miss him until we are reunited in heaven. However, we have a hope that does not disappoint and we know we will see him again. This has been the hardest time in our lives, but God has taught us so much about His love and we are so thankful that He gave us Jonah for those wonderful five months. This may seem like crazy talk to some, but then again so is the gospel: "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:8. We believe Jonah was sent to us for a purpose and we believe that purpose is ultimately so that more people come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Isaiah 53:6 and Romans 5:8-10: "But God comendeth His love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Thank you all again for loving us and for loving our son, Jonah. We pray we can be used by God to bless you in the future as much as you have all blessed us. 2 Corinthians 5:15

Phil. 1:3
In Him, Scott and Amy Goodman

P.S. We are going on a walk this coming Sunday for the PKD foundation, if anyone is interested we would love some company.

Los Angeles Walk for PKD
Jonah Scott Goodman had PKD or Polycystic Kidney Disease and more than 12 million people – men, women, children and infants – suffer from PKD world-wide. There is a nation wide walk for PKD going on this coming Sunday, November 9th. For more information go to: www.pkdcure.org

Check In Begins: 9:00am
Walk Start Time: 10:30am
Walk Distance: 2 or 4 Miles

Location:
Ocean View Park
2701 Barnard Way
(off Ocean Park Blvd.)
Santa Monica, CA, 90405

Dear friends and family,
As many of you have made it a part of your day to check in on Jonah's condition, I have made it a part of mine to check in on your words of encouragement and prayers for Jonah, Scott and Amy. I also wanted to feel close to them by viewing the pictures when we couldn't be with them. I find myself going to the blog to check in, and of course, it breaks my heart to see the pictures, now that we will no longer be able to see Jonah in this life. But there is still comfort in viewing and remembering his short, but oh so sweet and important 5 months and 1 week of life. Our family will never be the same, and Jonah will always be a part of us until the day that we go to see him in Heaven with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is so much comfort for me to know that sweet Jonah will be there with Jesus to welcome me one day.

The memorial service was beautiful with a slideshow of Jonah and his loving parents. Our son, Scott was able to share with everyone the love of God and do it with God's strength. I know that God's presence of love and hope was felt by all. I just wanted to write and say THANK YOU all so much for these past 5 months of love and support sent to the Goodman/West families. We could not have felt so hopeful and strong without your support, and someday we will understand it all more clearly.
As I was reading today I came across these verses in 2nd Corinthians 1:4:

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

And in John 14:1-2

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms, if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Love in Him, Nancy

Jonah's memorial Service

Dear Friends and Family,
We want to let you know that there will be a memorial service for Jonah this Sat. Oct. 25th at EV Free Church. The address is 999 Rancho Conejo Blvd., Newbury Park, CA. This will take place at 11:00 a.m.

Take the 101 to the Rancho Conejo Exit and go east. Go about 1 mile and turn left into the church parking lot.

We look forward to seeing all of you who can make it and we know that those who can't are holding us all in your prayers. God Bless you.

Love, Nancy

Childcare will NOT be available.

Jonah is with the Lord

Dear loved ones,
As difficult as it is to write this morning, I know you all need to know what has taken place. Scott and Amy knew it was time to let Jonah go peacefully to his heavenly Father. We all know he has been in the arms of Jesus all this time. They were able to spend sweet moments with him and hold him close before they said good-bye. Jonah's grandparents and aunts and uncles were also able to see him and all spend time in his room where he and his parents have been for months. We appreciate, once again, all your prayers for Jonah's family during this difficult time. Thank you and God Bless you all for loving and caring.

Thank you for continued prayers

Friends and family,
I'm writing because the last blog said we would keep you posted on Jonah's condition. This has been an extremely emotional day for the family because Jonah is struggling with his breathing. The doctors called a meeting with Scott and Amy to let them know what they are thinking. As Scott said, they don't call meetings unless it is important. Basically, Jonah's liver is so large that it is infringing on his lung space. We knew his liver was large, but I guess it's really large. This happens with children with PKD. The doctors have said that there is "more chance that Jonah won't get better than that he will." Not good news to hear. However, as Scott and I were speaking he said his lungs were working well at that time. :) We also must remember that we heard bad news 5 months ago also. So...we will continue to pray for sweet Jonah and his parents. We are trusting God and know that His will is the best for all of us. We pray His will be done and for His peace and comfort for Scott and Amy as they go through this difficult time once again. We are so grateful for your concern and love for this family.

Needing Prayer

Hello everyone. This is to let everyone know that Jonah is struggling and in need of much prayer. He has extra fluid that has not been coming off with dialysis and he also has high levels of Carbon Dioxide that need to come out. We appreciate all your prayers very much. We will post again soon to update. Thank you and God bless!

Feeling Better

Jonah was with Doctors most of the day as they tried to make him more comfortable. Scott called Amy during the wedding reception and told her that they gave him an anti-anxiety medicine and he was doing much better and looking all around peacefully. Thank you for all your prayers again. He was sleeping peacefully last we heard. He will get use to his new way to breathe, I'm sure. May God bless us all as we enjoy this peaceful time again. :) Congratulations to the bride and Groom, Amy's brother, Nick West and Ashley.

Jonah's strugglling

Please pray for Jonah today as often as you think of him. He is struggling with the new tracheotomy and is not getting enough Co2 off. He's on dialysis to get the fluid off but his electrolytes are off also. Amy is on her way up to San Luis to go to her brother's wedding today and is very torn because of leaving Jonah at such a crucial time. Pray for her and Scott also, as you have been. We are at another crucial time and in need of God's touch and miracle-working power.

Surgery over!

Jonah had his second tracheotomy today and I received 2 pictures from them that seem to show that all is well! Praise God! They sent them via text with the words "chubby cheeks", which is oh so true! He got a wonderful kiss from dad and I'm sure mom on his sweet cheeks without the ventilator getting in the way! Yay! Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Surgery tomorrow on 10/17

Scott said they will do the surgery tomorrow to replace the tube that he has in now. Please continue to pray for Jonah's comfort and for Scott and Amy to have peace during this trying time. I know there are so many people who read this and are holding them up in thoughts and prayers. We all appreciate this so much and couldn't do this alone. We know the Lord is with us all through all of this, but it's so great to have friends, family and acquaintances comment on the blog and talk to us about Jonah. We know how much you all care! We can feel the love being sent to Jonah and family. He is still in God's hands as he has been since May 14th. Please Pray On!!

Extra Prayer Needed Today!

Please pray today for wisdom for the doctors and Scott as Jonah is struggling with his breathing today. The tracheotomy was done when he had a lot of fluid and now it is not fitting properly and he may need another emergency tracheotomy today. This is another crucial time and we trust the Lord to see him through. Thank you for all your prayers. We will update soon.

More news.

Jonah is resting comfortably but is on pain meds for his tracheotomy and some discomfort that he has had for a day or two. He is a bit bloated and they are giving him a sonogram tonight or tomorrow to see what they can find out. Scott and Amy can of course also use our prayers for strength and peace in the midst of "ups and downs". We will keep you updated on his condition.
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear...." Psalm 46:1-2

Tracheotomy Update.

Today Jonah had his tracheotomy surgery and he is now back in his room. We are thankful it went well. Please pray for his comfort and healing. Thank you so much!

A day in the PICU...

We visited with Scott, Amy and Jonah yesterday and it was a good day. Today they had to put him back on antibiotics because his fever spiked after he was taken off. We are waiting to see if he will get the tracheotomy on Tuesday. He weighs 10 lbs. 2 oz. now and seems to be growing in length as well. He is such a darling little baby with a such a sweet disposition.... especially considering his days and what he goes through. Please continue to hold him up in prayer. Thank you..

Please pray for 'Baby Yesena'

Scott called me tonight asking for prayer for baby Yesena. Scott and Amy have been staying next to her parents for awhile now. She was born with no intestines and failing organs. She recently had intestine, liver, and pancreas transplants that went well. However she now has influenza in her lungs which were both transplanted about 6 months ago. There is little the doctors can do right now because of her recent transplants. She is just over a year old. She needs a miracle and we are asking for prayer for her. She is a little miracle already and we ask the Lord for another one, that this sickness would leave her. Thank you for lifting her up!

surgery postponed

Scott called and said the surgery is postponed until Tuesday. His clotting platelets were not right so they will start giving him platelets today and it should be taken care of by Tuesday. Just another change of plans, but we are grateful for the doctors at UCLA and their knowledge and care for Jonah. Thank you for all your comments of support for this procedure. We will try again on Tuesday. :)

Tracheotomy tomorrow

Jonah will have his tracheotomy tomorrow.. not sure of the time, but want you all to know so you can have him in your thoughts and prayers for a smooth, easy and successful surgery. This is a big step for Jonah and it should be a good change for him. I'm sure Scott and Amy are so excited to cuddle him up close again. We will see him on Saturday and will get some pictures of that adorable little face without the ventilator in his mouth. Yay! Pray on friends and family. With love and much appreciation, Nancy

Happy Anniversary Scott and Amy!

Today is Scott and Amy's 3rd wedding anni and we hope it's a wonderful day for two wonderful parents. Scott has told me recently that Jonah is stable and is on hemodialysis most days for a couple hours a day. The infection seems to have subsided but I will let you know more when I do. Something I read on Robynn's blog Yesterday is very good advice, so I will share it with you:
Happy moment, Praise God
Difficult moments, Seek God
Quiet moments, Worship God
Painful moments, Trust God
Every moment, Thank God
Thank you for continuing to pray for Scott, Amy and little Jonah. We will be going down to see them this weekend so I may get some new photos.. :)

Surgery is over

Jonah's surgery is over and the catheter has been removed. He is already waking up and coming out of the anethesia. Scott said it went well and he made it through fine. The next step will be tomorrow most likely, when they will hook him up to the hemodialysis machine again. Hopefully they will use the site which is already there and won't have to insert another tube/line into him. He will be on this each day for 2-4 hours a day because it is not as comfortable as the peritoneal dialysis. That's the latest until next time. Still praying with much hope for the future,

Change of plans

Well... here we go on the roller coaster ride again. Scott called and said they need to do the surgery now to remove the catheter because the infection is still there and the numbers are at 2000 (white blood cell count) now. They are worried about scarring of the membrane around the stomach where the dialysis takes place. If that is compromised, then dialysis will not be possible. It sounds like this is very necessary for Jonah. Pray that the procedure goes well and Jonah is comfortable. He will go on hemodialysis again until he is healed and can get another catheter placed in a different spot. Thank you friends and family. In His love,

surgery postponed 48 hours

Wow... This has been quite a day in the UCLA picu! Amy just called me and said that the doctors have postponed the surgery to remove the dialysis catheter because.... his white blood cell count went from 4000 down to 400 this afternoon! That I am guessing is a huge drop in medical #'s.....Thank the Lord and Thank you, thank you to whoever was praying this afternoon. This has been a sad, nerve-racking kind of day, BUT now we are so thankful that he may really be on the road to recovery from this infection and will be able to keep his peritoneal dialysis going....We know who is in control once again... we do need to be reminded now and then, don't we? We will let you know in a couple of days how it's going. Keep the faith and keep those prayers going, please! In case you are just checking the blog for the first time today, check out the earlier posts so you'll understand what's been going on....:)

Catheter out tomorrow

The Doctors have decided to remove the catheter tomorrow and put him back on hemodialysis. Scott thinks he may have to be on it for quite a while. Once the infection is gone and they think he is ready, they will put another catheter in for the peritoneal dialysis again. This could be quite a while, but we are taking it one day at a time as always. It has been 4 1/2 months since Jonah was born and gave a cry when he entered this world. This was not expected and we all were so gratefully surprised that he was alive. He was taken by helicopter to the UCLA NICU where he has been improving steadily.

At this moment I am reminded of the storm at sea that Peter and the disciples were in. Jesus was asleep on the boat and they were so afraid that they would all die. They woke him up and "he rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided and all was calm." He then asked his disciples, "Where is your faith?" Luke 8:24-25 We are in a storm again with Jonah, but our hope is in God and his faithfulness. We will continue in hope, knowing that Jonah is loved by our Lord more than all the love we all have for him put together. That is HUGE! Please continue in prayer and support for Scott, Amy and little Jonah. Thank you.

Jonah needs your prayers.

Scott just called me at work and said that blood tests came back and showed that Jonah has too many white blood cells which are fighting his infection. If the next test shows the same, then they will take the peritoneal catheter out and he will have to go back on the hemodialysis again which is through the blood rather than the stomach. This is a setback and our prayer is that the infection will go away with God's healing touch and the antibiotics that Jonah is on. Thank you for lifting him up and I will let you know soon what decision has been made. Proverbs 3:5-7 is one of Scott's favorite verses. With love and prayers,

Before Time Began

Friends,
Goodman family here to say thanks to all those who have prayed for Jonah and given us support in other ways too. We also appreciate the good thoughts and positive vibes to those who support us this way. I know the faith and scripture displayed here can look 'greek' to many, but we Scott/Amy/Jonah are humbled everytime we see evidence of someone visiting offering support. Thank-you so very much ALL of you! The truth is, the Lord Jesus knew our son Jonah, before even time began. Titus 1:2 Before the space/time/matter existed and there was only the Creator, He promised eternal life to His people! We can't understand this because our minds can't understand 'before time began'. The believers hope is eternal. This concept can be found in 2nd Timothy 1:9,Ephesians 1:4 and all over the Bible. May I share my favorite verse in all the Bible with people I love? Thank-you, it is this; "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." This verse records the creation of space ("the heaven"), of time ("in the beginning")and of matter ("the earth") I could go on and on about the law of causality and the laws of thermodynamics that are the most universal and best proved generalizations of science, applicable to EVERY process and system of any kind, but I won't. :) We love you and hope and pray God richly blesses each and every one of you today! love,Scott,Amy and Jonah

Jonah is stable

Brad and I visited with Scott and Amy yesterday and got to give sweet Jonah a kiss on his sweet, plump, soft cheek. They have had a few "scary" days with the dialysis and blood pressure etc., but things are steady now. His fever is low at night and he is sleeping quite a bit to fight this infection. He is on a new antibiotic now and once again the hope is that when he is feeling well, he will have the tracheotomy which will be a new step toward his healing. This could happen next week. Hang in there, as Scott and Amy are with all of this, and keep our faith in the Lord who has Jonah in His hands. He has gotten much bigger since we saw him 6 weeks ago, fuller and longer. There are many different things you could all pray for regarding his health, but the bottom line is he needs our constant prayers for overall healing. Thank you and God bless you as you support this little guy and his family through this fight. New pictures coming soon. :)

Still not feeling well..

Jonah is still fighting an infection and is on 4 different antibiotics. They don't really know where the infection is, but know that he is not feeling well. There is no plan at this time for the tracheotomy until he is feeling better and the infection is gone. Also, please pray for Robynn who is in the hospital due to an infection and is not feeling well. Go to www.robynnsbattle.blogspot.com to check on her progress. Keep these two in your prayers. Thank you.

Feeling better today!

Jonah is on 3 different antibiotics and is feeling better. They will re-evaluate his condition tomorrow and possibly re-schedule the tracheotomy for sometime this week. This is a roller-coaster ride at times, but we are trusting God for His timing and wisdom for the various procedures. Jonah is now on the dialysis machine for 16 hours a day, instead of 24! We were told when he is on it for 14 hours a day and is stable, he will be able to go home. We will know more about this when the time comes and the decision about the tracheotomy is made. Once again, we are so grateful for so many comments of support and prayers from many people we know and many we don't know. You are all such an encouragement to our family! God Bless You!

No surgery today.

Scott texted me and said they won't give him the surgery today due to an infection. He is getting antibiotics and they are trying to figure out what's wrong and why. He is stable though, so keep him in your prayers for healing and continued wisdom for Scott and Amy regarding this whole procedure. God is still taking care of sweet Jonah. Thank you for your prayers for them.

tracheotomy on Friday

Scott and Amy have decided that Jonah will go ahead and have a tracheotomy this Friday. Please pray for this procedure to go well with no complications. This will allow Jonah to be free of the ventilator in his mouth and down his throat and we will see his sweet face. He will also be able to taste and start feeding through a bottle and will have more mobility. Scott and Amy will be able to hold him close to them. He has been gaining weight because he is getting more food through the tube to his intestines. It all sounds so complicated with so many different tubes and lines, but the good news is that he is doing ok and progressing. We are hopeful that this will be a good step in the right direction for him. He is 4 months old as of the 14th and we are so happy that he is here with us and growing. We look forward to what God has in store for little Jonah. Keep up your good work of prayers for Jonah, Scott and Amy.

Keep those prayers going

Scott said that Jonah's fever is gone and they haven't found evidence of an infection in his bloodstream from the culture. They won't be making a hasty decision regarding the tracheotomy. They plan on talking with Doctors next week and continuing to pray for wisdom, discernment and guidance for this decision. We all appreciate so much your comments and prayers of support.

A setback

Amy said that Jonah hasn't been feeling well for a couple of days. He has a fever and may have an infection in his blood which can happen because he has a couple of lines into his bloodstream for his meds. They have taken a culture to see. Please pray for our little guy to feel well and for Scott and Amy who are praying about a decision to have him get a tracheotomy. Some doctors feel this would be good for him because his face would be free to move and he could taste milk and he would be rid of the tube in his mouth and down his throat. With the cold and flu season upon us, it is likely that he could get it, and if he was extubated, they might have to intubate him again. So...decisions ahead for Scott and Amy. They need all of our prayers at this time. We thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for baby Jonah and his parents.

Good News tonight!

Scott called and said that Jonah is going down on his "vent" settings and is also gaining weight! Hallelujah! It's wonderful to hear the excitment in Scott's voice and sense the relief he is feeling. We are thanking God for the good days and thanking God in the bad days. Thank you all for your prayers. Please also keep Robynn in your prayers for healing as she continues to battle cancer. Visit her site at robynnsbattle.blogspot.com

Feeling Better

Today Amy said that Jonah is feeling better and is getting as much food through his feeding tube per hour as he ever has. The Drs. are moving him down on the ventilator by 2's. Right now he is at 18 and when he is at the 10 setting, they will be able to extubate him. Yay! and Thank the Lord! Keep praying for this to happen soon.

Isaiah 40:31 says "...but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Our family is so thankful for the love and support of so many since May 14th, and so grateful for God's sustaining power and presence in Jonah's young, sweet life through all of the ups and downs. We have such a great hope for the future!

Keep up the prayers!

I spoke briefly with Scott tonight and he said that some days are good and some are bad. I think today wasn't such a good day for Jonah. Scott is with him all day each day and can tell when he is feeling good or bad. He said that Jonah is in some pain and they don't know why. Please lift him up in prayer. He is on some meds but he is still not too happy. This is hard news to hear and it hurts to think that Jonah is in pain. Amy is feeling better but obviously they all need our constant thoughts and prayers. Keep holding them up as you have been. God Bless you.

Successful Procedure

Jonah had the surgery today to put the tube in that will send the milk directly to his intestines, so he will not aspirate anymore. The procedure went well and the doctor said it was a 'miracle' he got it in. They said they will start him on breast milk tonight again. We are so thankful for yet another step forward for Jonah. Continue to pray that he will be able to breathe on his own as this will be a huge step in his healing process. You can lift up Amy this week as she has caught a cold after her first week back at school. Saturday we got to visit Jonah, Scott, and Amy and it was so great to see him and his little smiles! Thank you all for continuing to pray for my sweet nephew and his parents. love, aunt amanda

Another set back

While they were weighing Jonah yesterday, he aspirated some water or milk again. He is now back on IV fluids and will have no milk for 1-2 days. They will put a new tube in him on Tuesday which will send the fluid directly to his intestines and bypass his stomach which will keep him from aspirating. I took a picture of the wonderful plaque that I found one day while shopping. We know Jonah is Scott and Amy's miracle boy (and all of ours :) and we know that he is in God's hands through all of the ups and downs that he experiences while in the PICU.

Colossians 4:2
"Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving." Please keep praying as always and thank you again.

A Good Day!

Scott said that Jonah had a good day today and is getting fed through his tube again after a few days of only intravenous feeding. His dialysis is going well and they will start sprinting him and weaning him from the ventilator again soon. Amy has been going to work daily, getting ready for her first day of school which is tomorrow. She also drives to see Scott and Jonah after school and then back home to Thousand Oaks to sleep. Please pray for them during this big transition period as well. They are continuing to rely on God's grace and provision during this trial period in their lives. We thank God for the good days!

Decision made

Scott called back and said that after discussing the tracheotomy with Barb (Amy's mom) and brother, who are both respiratory therapists, they have decided to wait and not "ok" the procedure at this time. We are all praying that the sprinting will continue more aggressively and he will be extubated as soon as possible. God knows the condition of little Jonah and we are once again placing him in the Lord's hands. When we are weak, then He is strong and we are relying on the Great physician to help and heal Jonah. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1 We will continue to pray for the Lord's will in Jonah's precious life.
Right before Scott called me I was at a store in San Luis and found a wonderful plaque that "jumped out" at me from the shelf. It says..."SUCH A BIG MIRACLE IN SUCH A LITTLE BOY." Of course I bought it right away with a big smile on my face thinking of how it will be put in Jonah's room at home. I felt such a sense of peace after the phone call from Scott that God is reassuring me that all is still ok and God is still in charge. We do have a wonderful loving Heavenly Father who cares about us and shows us His love in so many ways. Keep praying and God Bless you!

Scott has let me know that the doctors don't think he'll be able to be extubated in the next few weeks and are recommending that Jonah gets a tracheotomy put in for his breathing. This will allow them to move him around more and do more with him which would be good. Please pray for wisdom for Scott and Amy as they make this decision. The surgery procedure could be on Tuesday. Thank you all for your continued prayers.

Continue to pray!

Jonah is getting a break today from sprinting because his oxygen saturation was low and they found out that he had aspirated a bit of the fluid when he spit up. So now they are suctioning him, which they do regularly, to get the excess fluid out of his lungs. The sprinting has been going well and they are trying to sprint him for an hour 3 times a day. Eventually they will sprint him for 12 hours at a time. He actually sleeps through this so he is improving. Amy asked for prayer for him to be able to be extubated in about 3 weeks. That is our hope at this point. The dialysis is going well and they will learn all the ins and outs about the machine and be trained before Jonah can go home. Amy starts teaching next week and is getting ready and stocking up food in their home once again. Scott will begin his credential classes at night and they will have to leave Jonah at times, which I know isn't easy for them. Keep them in your prayers. By the way, Amy talked to 2 or 3 people today while at her meetings and getting ready for school, who said they are praying for her and family. She was very blessed to know that so many are holding them up in prayer.... people who she doesn't know. Once again.. thank you so much.

Jonah's miracle story continues!

We had a great visit with Jonah, Scott and Amy this past weekend. We celebrated Scott's birthday (Aug. 15th), Jonah's 3 month b.day and Brad's b.day which was Aug. 13th. We are so happy to inform you of Jonah's continued improvement. He is on the dialysis machine 24 hours a day. They hope to have him down to about 14 hours a day when they take him home. This will be quite a while but he is moving forward. They are "sprinting" him 3-4 times daily and it is going well. His blood pressure has been good and we're looking forward to the day in the near future when he will be extubated and then we will really see his smiles. Keep those prayers for the family coming! We are seeing the results! Thank you and God Bless you all!

3 Month B-day

Scott and Amy Here:
We are overjoyed that Jonah has hit the three month mark in his life. God is so good and is strengthening Jonah everyday. Today they put Jonah on the dialysis machine, which means if he does well on it they can start cutting back on the amount of hours he has to do dialysis a day. Once he only has to be on dialysis for around 14 hours a day we can take him home and do dialysis at home during the night. They are sprinting Jonah on the ventilator three times a day to help him exercise his lungs. Our prayer is that he will soon be off the ventilator. We are very hopeful, and know we have a ways to go. Thank you for responding to the Holy Spirit's leadings to pray for Jonah. Please pray for Robynn and her battle, the Goodell's and extended family in their time of grief for Robynn's Aunt and Uncle going to be with Jesus. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all.

Amy & Scott Goodman Robynnsbattle.blogspot.com

Phil.1:3

Happy Birthday Jonah!

Jonah is 3 months old today! My 5 and 3 year old girls were at the park today and made a happy birthday cake out of sand for their 3 month old cousin Jonah! Happy 3 months Jonah we love and want to come visit you soon!!! Love, Aunt Amanda, Uncle Jason, Calli, Bella, and Evann

Continued improvement!

I spoke with Amy today and she said they are "sprinting" Jonah everyday lately to work his muscles and make him stronger. Right now he is on a manual dialysis program but will soon be on a dialysis machine. When this takes place they will work on getting him off the ventilator. They are getting enough fluid off of him now so his blood pressure is being regulated by the medications. This is a praise report because about a week ago he was on fuid overload which is why his b.p. was up and he had to go on hemodialysis.

Jonah has a play therapist (besides Scott and Amy :) who comes in daily and reads to him and plays with him. Amy said she will send me a picture soon of Jonah sleeping with his hands folded and he looks like he is praying. I can't wait to see it!

Sheila asked how we can pray for Scott and Amy so I will give you some suggestions. Amy will be starting back to school on the 25th to teach at a new school and a new grade this year. Pray for her and the transition to a new job and leaving Jonah each day. She has been given extra sick days by friends/teachers in her district and is hoping that she may be able to use them at her new school, possibly on Fridays so she can spend more time with Jonah. She will be traveling from Thousand Oaks to UCLA each day after school to spend time with him. Pray also that God will open a door for Scott to finish his credential easily and be able to teach the next year. He also needs to work at night or during the day and be able to attend his classes which are from 5-10 at night. Of course, their main priority is still spending time with Jonah. We know that "God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

So, once again, thank you for your prayers and comments and thoughts and friendship and love. Please remember to pray for Robynn and her family. They are in need of much prayer at this time. You can follow her story at www. robynnsbattle.blogspot.com.

Oh what beautiful eyes!

What a huge smile this picture brought to my face when I got it via text from Scott! He is so darling and just imagine how he will look when he is extubated and we can see his whole face! They "sprinted" him yesterday for about 15 minutes and it went very well! Basically, this means they reduce the pressure and let him breathe more on his own. They will continue to do this daily a few times a day to strenthen his diaphram before they take the tube out. I'm not sure for how long, but this is a great step forward to seeing him free of the breathing tube. Scott said his oxygen saturation was good while they did this. It's an answer to prayer again! Please continue to pray for this procedure to strengthen him and soon we will see his whole sweet face. He hasn't had to have the hemodialysis for about 5 days and his blood pressure has been under control.. Yay! and thank you, thank you for your prayers and thank God for His love and care for little Jonah!

Moving along!

I spoke with Scott and he said that Jonah is doing well today. He had the hemodialysis last night quite late but it was successful and they got off the fluid which lowers his blood pressure. He is doing fine today and things are looking good. Scott told Alyse the other day that when he walked in one morning and looked down on Jonah, Jonah gave him a big smile. You can imagine how that made this proud daddy feel! We'll take the little gifts and blessings that come our way anytime! For some reason the buddymapping isn't working right now. It's great to see your comments and areas you live in, so please keep checking to see when it's back up and running again.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

Jonah has a new home!

We went to see Jonah and family yesterday and they were in the process of moving him to the PICU. The room is much bigger and more comfy for Scott and Amy. This is a step forward but we are all sad to say good-bye to the nurses who have been faithfully, tenderly, giving Jonah such wonderful care. I'm sure Jonah will steal the hearts of the new nurses quickly. Please continue to pray that he will be extubated soon but at the correct time for him. He still has hemodialysis every other day or so to help with his high blood pressure. We are also hoping for this to be controlled with the meds and God's healing touch. He is as darling as ever! Keep your faithful prayers coming... Thank you!

Doing well...

It's been a couple of days since an udate and I know some really like to hear more often, but there's not a lot of new news. He is stable and the lung infection (pneumonia) seems to be gone. He is getting hemodialysis again today for a couple of hours to get the blood pressure under control. I think he has been on that a few times in the past 3 days. We are still praying for him to be extubated and they are going to start to "sprint" him soon. This means they help him to use his muscles around the diaphragm more somehow by changing the setting on the machine. I really don't understand it all, but Amy and Scott do. According to Amy, Jonah was smiling quite a bit yesterday. We asked how he did during yesterday's earthquake and they said that Jonah was staring at his animals above his head on the mobile as they danced around for him. I guess he was briefly entertained. :) A big thank you to Robynn for commenting and inspiring us all so much with your abiding faith in the midst of your own battle. I also cannot wait for Jonah to meet you and your family someday. I have the vision in my head and know it will happen sometime. Thank you to the Goodell family and all others for praying for Jonah, Scott and Amy everyday. God is so good and we can't wait to see what is in store for both these families.

A day filled with Good News!

Hi all,
Well, after the last couple of days of prayer and tears and trust and you know how it goes.... we got wonderful news today! Scott said that Jonah's blood pressure has been GOOD for a day and a half. He also said Jonah will be leaving the isolation area and return to his normal NICU spot. His infection must be better. He may be going to the PICU (Pediatric intensive care unit) in a couple of weeks. I think this is a good step. He has been smiling A LOT today which must mean he is feeling well!! I'm so excited to go down and see our smiling Jonah. He will be 11 weeks this Wednesday. Scott and Amy are feeling good because their little baby boy is feeling better. Praise God from whom all blessing flow. Praise God all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost! Amen... I wish I could sing it with you all. Thank you all for your comments of support and prayers. Jonah and all of his family feel them!

At the end of the day..

Amy called me and said that the Doctors decided to put Jonah on hemodialysis again today for a couple of hours to see if they can get fluid out of his veins. He doesn't look bloated but he could have some extra fluid there. The hemodialysis can help to reduce this. They will do this for a couple of days. The great news is that Jonah wasn't disturbed by this at all. Amy said he was looking around and didn't seem to be uncomfortable. Praise God! They are going to do an ultrasound on his brain to make sure everything looks good there, although he is not giving any indication of a problem. Thank you for your comments of prayer and support. Please feel free to comment anytime and let us know you're standing with us all. Just click on 'comments'. :)

I spoke with Scott today and he said that Jonah has a staff infection in his pic line( the line used to administer meds etc.) The doctors have put him on another antibiotic to take care of this. They also are doing a CAT scan on his brain to find out why his blood pressure has not been going down. Usually it will go down after dialysis, but lately has been staying high. I'm just updating you all so we can continue to pray for little Jonah. I know you will and thank you. It's hard to understand this, but thankfully we have a God who does and we will continue to trust him and have hope.

Continue in prayer

Today things are going along as they have been. Jonah needs our prayers for the medications to continue to bring his blood pressure down. He also still has an infection in his lungs and we pray for healing. Of course, we continue to pray for him to be extubated from his breathing tube. This seems like so much to have happen some times, but we know that "with God all things are possible." Mark 10:27 And again..."whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24 We will keep believing for Jonah, Scott and Amy. We love you and you're not alone. Thank you all for remembering them.

Another good visit

We spent Saturday and Sunday with our 'precious threesome' and Jonah was doing well. He continues to improve daily but still has a long way to go before he will be able to go home. Our main prayer is for him to be extubated (removal of ventilator) within the next 2 weeks. They are figuring out the correct amount and types of blood pressure meds for him. He has recently begun laying on his tummy for a different feel and he seems to like it. This also enables him to begin to strengthen his neck muscles. When the ventilator is removed he and his parents will feel much more relieved. His lungs are good but his muscles are weak because he has not been using them very much these past 2 months. They will be working him out before they extubate him. Pray, pray, pray for this sweet little guy's comfort and well-being. He and his mom and dad feel your prayers. Thank you as always, Nancy

Wonderful Parents!

We had a good visit today with Jonah, Scott and Amy. Jonah looks better than he did last week and he was awake a good part of the day. He is struggling with high blood pressure and is now on 3 or 4 different medications for this. Please pray for this situation and that his blood pressure would decrease and he wouldn't need as many meds. Scott was reading the bible to him (and himself, I'm sure) and Jonah seemed to enjoy hearing his daddy's voice. Amy is reading him a Spanish/English picture book and after about the fifth word, he gives her a big yawn, closes his eyes and goes off to sleep. :) He may be bi-lingual by the time he is one year old....They are such loving and attentive parents to their baby boy! Wow, he continues to amaze us with his sweet personality. The nurse and respiratory therapist said today that he really recovers quickly and settles back down after any procedure. He is such a sweet baby! Thank you for your prayers. Please keep them coming. New pictures to follow.. Nancy

Improvement...

I got a text from Scott today that said "Jonah's pneumonia is better and he is better and God is good". I'm so happy to hear that news because I know what it's like to be there and have things go wrong and go right all in one day. Praise God for the good news today! Please check out www.robynnsbattle.blogspot.com today as she needs our prayers. I saw her on the Sacramento local news via an email and she looked so good. It was wonderful to hear her speak and testify to God's strength and her faith. She is having pain again and we need to hold her up in our prayers. Thank you so much for remembering these two precious people and we know there are many more who need our prayers as well. We need to lift all those up together who are struggling with various situations in their lives. God hears and knows all things and we are one in the spirit of Christ holding eachother up. "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20
In His Love, Nancy

Jonah is 2 months old today!

We are so thankful to be able to say he is 2 months old! On May 14th we didn't know if we would even meet our little son, grandson, and nephew. We know this is all because of God's grace, healing power and love for little Jonah. All of your prayers have made the difference. He is feeling better today but is still fighting the bacteria and does have pneumonia. Funny thing is... Scott told me today that he is actually breathing easier now then when he didn't have the pneumonia. He does have a larger breathing tube and he is getting breastmilk through the feeding tube. He is a bit jaundice due to his liver function. These are all conditions that you can continue to pray for. He is still our miracle boy and he is a little fighter. God bless you all.. Nancy

Feeling better!

We spent the day with Scott and Amy and they even left the NICU for a few hours today and went to church in Thousand Oaks. We had lunch with friends and returned to Jonah to find him feeling better, as the antibiotics and the many prayers had obviously "kicked in". Thank you Lord for your touch and the prayers of your people. He is now in an "isolation room" because he has a bacteria "bug" that they want to make sure doesn't move around the NICU. Scott says it's a blessing because he is in his own room where it is quiet without the bells and whistles of the other babies monitors. He was very alert today, looking around and obviously feeling much better than yesterday. Scott, Amy, Brad and I were singing to him tonight and his eyebrows were visibly expressive. He is so darling! Amy and Scott are quite comfortable taking care of his needs such as changing him, taking his temp, feeding him through his feeding tube and monitoring the dialysis. Wow... they seem to be taking on the duties of the nurses who are all so supportive and kind with them. Thank you again... Nancy

A little "Bump" in the road

Brad and I are visiting this weekend and Jonah is having a difficult time right now. I'm glad we're able to be here to help and encourage when we can. Jonah is on medication for his infection but with prayer and these meds, I'm sure he will be feeling better soon. He has grown so much in 3 weeks since we've seen him and is such a darling baby boy. I put up some new pictures of him... one without his ventilator last week, and one with Scott before it was removed.

Scott and Amy are faithfully by his side each day for hours, and of course they need your prayers for strength and encouragement. After just one day, it takes it's toll on me, so I know they are getting their strength from the Lord. Pray also that the new medications for his blood pressure would do their work. Jonah is still a very sick little baby, but we know that God has a purpose in all this. We still don't know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future. "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12 This is what Scott and Amy are teaching us. "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6 Keep believing for Jonah, Scott and Amy and thank you again for your prayers. With Love, Nancy

Please Pray

Today Jonah is having a hard time. He has an infection in his trachea area and is having a more difficult time breathing even with the ventilator. The doctors are deciding which antibiotic to give him. Please pray for healing for his infection and for his breathing. There are ups and downs in his journey and today is one of the downs. Thank you for your continued support through prayer. love, Aunt Amanda

New Pictures!

These are the photos that were sent from Scott's cell phone and they are precious! Thank you to Alex (friend of Pop's) for your computer/cell phone skills to enable us to get these put on the site. Please continue to pray that Jonah will be able to be off the ventilator again soon and then Scott and Amy can hold him close each day. Thank you. Nancy

Back on ventilator

Well... Jonah is back on the ventilator for a time because he was struggling yesterday to breathe. They think it's possibly because he may have an irritation or inflammation in his windpipe/trachea from the ventilator tube. They will give him steroids to deal with the inflammation and then try again in a few days maybe. They are also taking a culture to see if there is an infection. This is all a bit of trial and error unfortunately, but we know that God is the great physician and Jonah is still (as always) in His hands. Please keep Jonah in your prayers for comfort, healing and the ability to breathe on his own. Thank you for your words of encouragement and prayers. Nancy

From Amy and Scott

Thank you all again for your prayers. God is hearing them and is honoring them through Jonah. Please keep praying for him to stay off the ventilator (breathing tube). He is doing well, but his little lungs are working really hard. We continue to trust God and his plan for Jonah.

Also, if you would pray for the other babies in the NICU, many of them are very sick and they and their families need the Lord's healing touch as well. We have become close with Jennifer and her baby, Bear (this is his nickname). He needs lots of prayers, because the doctors are saying he has brain damage from seizures that caused lack of oxygen to his brain. She is hopeful he can have a normal life some day, but the doctors are not as hopeful. Please pray for her and that the Lord God, Jesus Christ, will show himself real and mighty to her through this situation.

Thank you for your prayers, they are the best gift anyone can give.

Scott & Amy Goodman

Psalm 37:4&5

He's off the ventilator!

Praise the Lord! Jonah is now off the ventilator and just has a small oxygen tube in his nostrils. I wish I could send the text message picture that Scott sent me to all of you, but as soon as I get down there, I will take more photos and post them on this site. Thank you again for all your prayers for Jonah and family. He is our little miracle boy and we look forward to what God has planned for him and his next step of healing. Love and thanx to all.. Nancy and family

Big day tomorrow!

If things continue as they are today and tonight, the doctors have decided to "challenge" Jonah and take him off the ventilator! Wow! and Praise the Lord for this day and progression in his healing! Please pray that this will be so and Scott, Amy and all of us will be able to see all of Jonah's darling face without the tape and ventilator. I'm sure if this goes well he may be able to take milk from the bottle as well. Oh what a happy day!

"In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears." Psalm 18:6

"Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song....."Psalm 28:6-7
Stayed tuned for more wonderful miracles! Love, Jonah's family

Continued improvement!

I just spoke with Scott and he said that Jonah is off of fentenol (the pain med) for now, his vent settings are lower, he is up on feeding, and dialysis is working well. We are thanking the Lord for all of this good news and steady improvement.
Jonah is napping today quite a bit because of lack of sleep last night. At about midnight an ambulance hit the hospital and the main water pipe broke which set off the alarms and flashing lights in the NICU as well. This went on until 5:00 a.m. this morning. He is getting some much needed sleep today. Keep up those prayers for this precious threesome, Scott, Amy and Jonah and thank you so much! Nancy

update

Jonah is continuing to improve. He is taking "baby steps", but Amy and Scott are seeing his ventilator decreased gradually every other day. Our prayer is for him to be able to breathe totally on his own soon. He is still being fed via his feeding tube with Amy's breastmilk and is growing. He is on the peretineal dialysis and getting his excess fluids off. I have some darling pictures on my cell phone that Scott sent that I wish I could share with you. In them Jonah is with his mom and dad and is noticeably aware of them. We will be visiting them on Sunday and Monday and will take more pictures then.

Happy 4th of July! Jonah's Papa says shoot a rocket off for Jonah! :) Here is a verse and a promise for us all: ".....being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Phil. 1:6 Thank you for your prayers for Jonah. He is 7 weeks old already!! Praise the Lord! In Him, Nancy

A new residence

Well... Jonah made his move to the new NICU and is liking it. Amy said that he is now a bit elevated in his bed and likes to look around at them and his new fish mobile which is hanging near his head. He is no longer on IV fluids and is just getting breast milk through his feeding tube. They are lowering his pain meds and moving down on the ventilator and hope to get him off of that next week. That would be wonderful because they will be able to hold him more often and for a longer period of time. Continue to pray that the periteneal dialysis will continue to remove the correct amount of fluids from him. He is a bit swollen and they may try the hemodialysis again tomorrow if this has not improved. Keep those prayers coming in! Thank you, thank you! We'll keep you posted. God Bless You All!! Jonah's family :)

God is good!

Friends and Family,

Thank you all so much for your prayers, love, and support (in many forms). We, (Scott and Amy) have received, heard and read about all the people who are praying for Jonah and us and we can hardly believe how many people care for Jonah/us. If you continue to be lead, pray for Jonah - he has come a long way, but there still may be a long road ahead and we know the only way we will make it is for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to continue to carry us every day.

We want to testify that no matter what happens tomorrow or in the future with Jonah - God has already done a miracle through him in bringing him this far. Two weeks before Jonah was born the perinatologist told us Jonah wouldn't make it to his birth because his heart would fail, and we should begin to plan for our next pregancy. Even if he did make it out alive his lungs would be uninflatable and wouldn't survive the day of his birth. Our response was let God make that decision. Then two days after Jonah was born a group of doctors at UCLA told us that Jonah needed surgery as soon as possible and his lunges were too underdeveloped - they said it would be a miracle if Jonah made it through the surgeries he needed and got off the osculating ventilator. Once again our response was to put Jonah's life in God's hands and let Him decide to take Jonah home or bless us with a miracle. Well, as you all know Jonah is alive and doing a little better every day - therefore, God has already preformed miracles in Jonah. We continue to pray for Jonah's complete healing and that he would get off the ventilator and be able to come home with us.

The staff at the NICU often have comments about how amazed they are that Jonah is still alive, how far he has come, and what a fighter he is. However, we know the truth - we don't have big faith, we have a big Creator and sustainer God.

Jonah is moving to the new Ronald Reagan Medical Center in the morning (Sunday). They have decided to slowly feed him more each day and go down on the iv fluids - so more of his nutrition will come from breast milk. He is almost off his pain medication-sedatives, but will always need a little something as long as he is on the ventilator. The vent settings are slowly coming down and we hope and pray God will grant Jonah the ability to breath on his own someday. His peritoneal dialysis is going well - they are getting off plenty of fluid. All in all he is doing well.

Once again, thank you all for your prayers and support - we hope to bless others the way the Lord has blessed us through all of you. Our prayer is that God would use Jonah's life to move others to seriously consider the claims of the Lord Jesus and who He says He is. (Creator God that came to earth in the flesh offering life eternal through His resurrection from the grave and death.) In doing so, obtain by grace a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, our only hope for eternal life in glory. If your not sure about who Jesus is please read the Gospel of John, it will be well worth it!! With Love,

~Scott and Amy Goodman Romans 10:9 & Ephesians 2:8-9

Jonah is doing fine and is waiting for the big move to the new hospital on Sunday.  They are keeping his meds the same at this point as they want to keep him stable for the move.  Please pray for a smooth transition via the ambulance on Sunday.  They will be moving all 500 patients at the hospital that day.  We will update you as soon as we have news.  Thank you.  

decreasing pain meds

Amy just called and asked for prayer for Jonah as they are decreasing the amount of pain meds and he is more agitated. This is necessary and they are giving him ativan (anti-anxiety medication) to help with his withdrawal symtoms. Please pray that this tiny baby won't experience much pain and agitation. He is crying more now but this is also normal for a baby. It's just hard because it's not so easy to appease and cuddle him. Amy and Scott are doing their best to help him but I know it's hard for them to see their little guy uncomfortable. He was given protein through another IV today because sometimes the dialysis causes low sodium and protein. Thank you again for your continued prayers for baby Jonah and Scott and Amy!

Good News!

We just came back from visiting Jonah, Scott and Amy and found out that the Drs. have decided that surgery is NOT necessary and they think that the fluid build up is just part of the process. When the PD (periteneal dialysis) works more effectively, he will take in and give off the same amount of fluid and he won't be as edematous (swollen). Praise the Lord and thank you for your prayers. They are giving him less pain medicine now, so he can be a bit more agitated at times. When this happens any mom, dad, gramma or grampa wants to pick him up and cuddle him. This is not possible yet, but Amy and Scott know how to comfort and cuddle him with their hands and voices very well! Basically, we are seeing improvement and are trying to stay focused on the positive things. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" Hebrews 11:1 He is in good hands, God's hands and the Drs. and nurses in the NICU are wonderful! Amy and Scott are learning so much and are also wonderful care-takers of their beautiful baby boy! With love, Nancy (Jonah's Nana :)

Please Pray!

We went to see Jonah, Scott and Amy today and found out he is getting Amy's milk via feeding tube about every 6 hours. Amy said he may get it every 3 hours soon. That is good news! However, we need everyone to pray because it is possible that he may need another surgery to repair a hole inside his body. Because of this hole the fluid that he gets during dialysis is leaking to other parts of his body. We should find out tomorrow what the Doctors are planning to do. It's another "bump" in the road but we know who directs and prepares his path. Proverbs 3:5-6. Jonah has grown since we saw him last week. He is now 21 1/2 in. long and about 7.5 lbs. Please pray that the problem will be resolved and that he won't have to have another surgery.. If he does, we will let you know and we will pray for that. Thank you again. Love, Nancy and Brad

Jonah is still doing well!

A quick note to let you all know that Jonah is getting use to the new dialysis. He still has the hemodialysis every other day or so and is on the new one 24 hrs a day. They are lowering the amount of pain meds he gets, but must give him a bit more of anti-anxiety meds. His tiny little body has seen so much in just 5 short weeks but we are continually praising and thanking the Lord for how very far he has come. Tomorrow is Jonah's "due date" and the first day of summer. We are looking ahead to what great plans God has in store for Jonah and family. Amy said that he was able to get a bit of mommy's milk through his feeding tube today. If he handles that well, there will be more to come. Amy has been daily pumping her milk since he was born and they will be giving it to him regularly when he is ready. His lungs continue to improve and there is talk that he may get off the ventilator in a week or so. Please keep praying for this because it will be much easier for Scott and Amy to hold him when this takes place. Again we have to say THANK YOU all so much for your prayers and Thank you Jesus for your sustaining and healing power. Please remember Robynn in your prayers as she continues to get chemo and fight her battle with cancer. Go to http://Robynnsbattle.blogspot.com for updates on her progress. God Bless you all! Nancy

Peritenial dialysis today!

Jonah started the other kind of dialysis today and it is going well. His numbers are good and we are so thankful as this is a great step forward. He will be on this kind of dialysis 24 hours a day for now and the goal is to eventually have him on it for 12 hours a day and getting 100 cc's in that time period. They also have been weaning him off his oxygen intake and he is doing well with that. Please continue to pray that he will be able to be taken off the ventilator. If all continues to go well they are talking about doing that in a couple of weeks. Today was an encouraging day. Thank you all for your continued prayers! And thanks be to God!! Aunt Amanda

A Good Visit

We had a good time with Scott, Amy and Jonah yesterday and today. We went out to dinner with Gramma Sandy and shared some smiles and laughs. Brad, Gramma and I were able to take turns with Jonah in the nicu today, while Scott and Amy drove to T.O. for an appt. I have to tell you it's not easy being in there because there are little ups and downs constantly. Their strength and constant attention to Jonah is a marvel! Watching him while on dialysis is not easy and I appreciate so much what they are doing for Jonah daily. Please remember to keep them in your prayers along with Jonah. They will need God's strength one day at a time for quite a while. Thank you again for taking care of them through your prayers. With much gratitude, Nancy

Daddy Scott held Jonah!

What a great day today! We got to see Jonah on a good day. Gramma Sandy was able to see her great grandson for the first time. His dialysis went well again and there were no problems. Scott did get to hold Jonah and Brad's wonderful father's day gift was to see his son holding Jonah for the first time. Amy gave Scott the most precious gift for father's day. It has Jonah's hand print and foot print and pictures framed together with his favorite verse, Proverbs 3:5-6 on it. The picture will be posted soon. Hopefully if all continues to go well, Jonah will start the peretineal dialysis on Wed. Thank you for your continued prayers. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 We do have so much hope for little Jonah! With Love, Nancy

Happy Father's Day!

Scott said that yesterday's dialysis went well. They stopped early because they had gotten all the fluid off of him that they could. This was good news and Amy was able to hold him again! We (Brad, Gramma Sandy and I) are going down to see them this morning and I will hopefully get pictures of Amy and/or Scott holding baby Jonah. Happy Father's Day Scott and hopefully you will hold your little Jonah today! What a wonderful gift that would be! "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God.." 1 John 3:1

Keep praying Please!

I spoke with Allison today and Jonah is on dialysis again and doing well. He has been on it now for a few days in a row, which is good. Pray for his periteneal dialysis catheter area and his surgery area to fully heal. He will soon be on that instead of the hemodialysis, which will be easier on him. Pray also for him to be able to receive breast milk through his feeding tube. It seems that in this situation there may be 2 steps forward and 1 step back, but at least he is moving forward and we are thankful for this. Please continue to lift Scott and Amy up in prayer . They need the Lord's strength as they are daily watching and attending to their little baby boy. Jonah is becoming more and more aware as he grows, and it's a parent's heart to want to protect, shield, hold and nurture this little one. Thank you for your faithful prayers for each of them. Nancy

Amy held Jonah today!

Alison (Amy's sis) called me to let us know that Amy did hold Jonah today! He is 4 weeks old today and we are so happy for her. She also said that Jonah really settled down and all his numbers were great as he lay in his mommy's arms. I got all teary-eyed just thinking about it and realized once again what a wonderful miracle little Jonah is to us all! I should have some pictures to put up tomorrow for all to see. The Drs. agreed that Jonah would probably love to have some of Amy's milk instead of pedialite, and I think he may have gotten some today. Each day is another day of miracles and blessings! Thank you Lord! Love, Nancy

Jonah ate!

I just talked with Scott and he said that Jonah had about 3 cc's of pedialite through his tube...a first for the 4 week old Jonah (tomorrow). He also had a good dialysis today and his stats are normal. Amy was going to hold him today, but the NICU is very busy with a baby that just had surgery, so they will do it tomorrow. We are so happy about how well he is doing. Thanks be to God for His healing touch and to all of you who are faithfully praying for baby Jonah. Your words of encouragement and stories of how the Lord has helped you continue to be such an inspiration for all of us. Scott sent a text picture message of Jonah today which I wish I could put on the website for you. He was without his tape for the ventilator for a few minutes and we were able to see his whole face. He is a very beautiful boy and I'm not saying that just because I'm his gramma. :) Oh Happy Day!

Dialysis went well!

Scott said that they were able to take off 250 cc's of fluid today which is great! Yeah! and Hallelujah! After dialysis Scott says that Jonah feels good and looks around quite a bit. Brad and I had a wonderful visit with them and it was such a blessing to see Jonah smile! Amy's sis, Allison and her mom, Barb willl be there for a couple of days now and we plan on going back next week with Jonah's great gramma Sandy to check in again. We can't thank you all enough for your thoughts and prayers for Jonah and family. It makes such a difference.. Hopefully, today or tomorrow Scott and Amy will hold their little Jonah. We will keep you posted. With love, Nancy

A Smiling Jonah!

I wish I could put the pictures on here that I took of Jonah today, but that will have to wait until I see Alyse tomorrow. He smiled at Amy and I today while we were with him. (No, it was not an air bubble.) Even the nurse said "he is smiling with his eyes" also. A picture is worth a thousand words and you will see tomorrow. He did not have dialysis today as they are giving him a break. The nurse said that they would arrange to have Amy hold Jonah tomorrow!! Whoo Hoo!! What a great day! Thank you again for your prayers! Amy and I sang "You are my sunshine" to Jonah today but we need to work on the harmony. :) I think he liked it! Check back tomorrow for the wonderful pictures of darling Jonah! With Love, Nancy

More Improvement

I just talked to Scott and he let me know that today they got 340cc's of fluid off Jonah.. net. SO that is great! It is the most they have ever gotten from him. He also said he is showing more and more signs of health. We are so thankful. Thank you for your continued prayers. Love, Aunt Amanda

Jonah's dialysis was good yesterday as they were able to get 300 cc's of fluid off him which is actually 100, due to the amount they give him daily. Anyway, the plan is to continue with this daily and in a weeks time he will be back to "normal" as far as his fluids go. Then he will have a daily dialysis taking off and putting in equal amounts of fluid. (Amy and Scott... please correct me if this isn't right.) We get a lot of our information through family members who have spoken to Scott and/or Amy daily. We are so thankful to the Lord for his care for little Jonah. We will of course keep you posted on his improvements! Praise the Lord for his healing touch! Nancy

More dialysis today...

As long as we're praying specifically, let's pray that the dialysis session today will take more fluid from Jonah. He needs to have 300-400 cc's of fluid taken off because he takes in 200 cc's of fluid a day. His blood pressure has been good, allowing for the hemodialysis to work, but it's important for the dialysis to remove more fluid. Pray for this and for Jonah's comfort while he goes through this procedure. God is working his wonder-working power for Jonah and we are so thankful. Continue to keep Scott and Amy in your prayers for rest, peace and the joy of the Lord, which we know is their strength. Thank you! Nancy

Another good day!!

Jonah had another 4 hours of dialysis today and Amy said it went well. It was exciting to hear from her that Jonah was awake for about the last 30 minutes of the procedure and was looking around at her and Scott. Whoopee! He is 3 weeks old today and gave mom and dad a look! We are excited and happy for this good news. Your prayers are making a difference in Jonah's young life and Scott and Amy are getting through all of this because of you and your support. God is good and we are thanking Him continuously. Please keep it up! With love and appreciation, Nancy and Brad (Nana & Papa)

A Great Day!

We are so happy to let everyone know that Jonah's dialysis went well today. His blood pressure stayed up and they got a good amount of fluid from him. Amy sounded very blessed and relieved about how the day went. Please continue to pray for the hemodialysis to continue working until his stomach area is healed and ready for the peritoneal dialysis. Thank you , thank you so very much for your prayers and encouragement for Scott, Amy and Jonah. "Blessed be...the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation" 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 We are thanking the Lord for comforting us during this time.

Still waiting

The Doctors decided not to do dialysis today as Jonah's blood pressure is too low. They are giving him some medication to help raise it and hope to give him the hemodialysis tomorrow sometime. They want to wait until his abdomen heals more to start him on the dialysis in the stomach. Thank you for joining us in prayer for quick healing and successful dialysis tomorrow. We love you Scott, Amy and Jonah. Love, Mom, dad, and family

Another Critical Time

Hello all. In the last 8 or so hours Jonah has gotten very puffy especially in his lower region. They need to do dialysis tomorrow and they are 90% sure they will use the PD catheter in his abdomen that was hooked up during surgery 4 days ago. Normally they would wait for this site to heal for at least a month, but the neck dialysis is very hard on him. Also his blood pressure is very low and this needs to rise in order to do dialysis successfully. This is another critical time, but we know the Lord has seen him through all the other critical times in the last 2.5 weeks. It would be awesome if his catheter site for the dialysis would be healed and the dialysis would go smooth. Thank you for praying and keep checking for updates. Scott and Amy really appreciate all your prayers! love, aunt amanda

"Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilent in it with thanksgiving..." Colossians 4:2

A Peaceful Day!

Scott said that Jonah's blood pressure has gone up a bit with meds, and he may have dialysis today, although his numbers are still pretty good and he may not need it yet. Praise the Lord! Scott and Amy seem to be getting a bit more rest and for that we are very happy and thankful. There is a chance that he may start getting nourished with mother's milk soon through his feeding tube. Yeah!! Thank you, thank you for your continued prayers for Jonah! With much appreciation, Nancy

Please Continue in Prayer

Scott just called me and asked for all to be praying for Jonah. His blood pressure is very low and he has not responded to the drug that is suppossed to increase his blood pressure. They will be trying another drug today also. Thankfully his electrolytes are still good, but dialysis will be needed soon and they cannot do dialysis effectively if his blood pressure is as low as it is.
The Lord knows all the ins and outs so we can continue to ask for the Lord's wisdom and healing hand. Thank you all, and pray on!

no dialysis today

Jonah's Doctors decided not to put him through dialysis today because his blood pressure was a little low again. The good news is that he didn't need it today because his electrolytes were within a good range. As Amy said to me "The Lord is sustaining him". If his electrolytes are good tomorrow they won't do the dialysis then either. We are praying for his blood pressure to rise some and for healing where his surgery took place. He will eventually get on a different/better dialysis than the one he is currently experiencing. Scott and Amy are doing well, considering all they are going through. God is indeed their strength! Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to pray for their sweet baby boy and seek God's strength daily.
Thank you so much for interceding for Jonah and his family! Nancy (Nana)

Day after surgery

Today Jonah only had about an hour of dialysis because his blood pressure was a bit too low. They will try again tomorrow. Scott and Amy got some much needed rest while Brad and I watched Jonah in the NICU. The Dr. that performed surgery came by and said he looked good, so of course it made us smile. Please pray that Jonah will be able to receive dialysis tomorrow and that his numbers will be good. Thank you so much for your continued prayers for him. We are leaning on God each hour and each day and trusting that Jonah is being touched by Him. We know he is. Psalm29:11 says " The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace." We pray for sweet dreams filling sweet Jonah tonight. God Bless all you praying friends of Scott, Amy and Jonah!
Please remember to lift Robynn up and thank God for the miracles taking place in her life. We are so happy to hear the good news of yesterday. Please see her website at http://robynnsbattle.blogspot.com. Thank you Goodell army for your prayers also!

Successful surgery!

We tried to let everyone know earlier today but the site didn't work. We are so thankful for the outcome of this surgery today! It took about 3 hours and could have taken 7. The Dr. was very pleased with how it went. He removed his kidneys, repaired a hernia, placed the catheter for the future dialysis and overall seemed very pleased. A Dr. in the NICU later said that an xray of his lungs looked "beautiful"! We'll take it and are praising God and are so very thankful! They did caution Scott and Amy that the next few days could be a bit up and down, but this is normal after such a surgery. Pray for rest for Scott and Amy.. they will continue to need it as this is a very stressful and tiring situation. God is their strength and has gotten them through so much already. It was a great day and we are celebrating in our hearts. Thank you so much for your prayers for Jonah and the family. We have a long road ahead but know "with God all things are possible." Jonah has come so far in just 2 weeks! Happy 2 week birthday sweet Jonah! All our love, Nana and Papa

2 weeks old and surgery today!

Goodmorning everyone. Jonah is scheduled for surgery to start around 9:30am. It should last anywhere between 3 and 7 hours, so please pray for this today. He will be getting both kidneys removed, his hernia fixed, and also set up for dialysis through his abdomen. Pray for the doctors who will be working on him, Scott, Amy, and family for peace, and of course for little Jonah.
We will update tonight when we get home from the hospital. Thank you for your ferverent prayers. God is good! Praise the Lord at 11:04 Jonah will be 2 weeks old!!

prayer request

Robynn Goodell is having a lot of treatments and tests today so please pray for her. Tomorrow she will get results about how she' s doing with her cancer. Her site is robynnsbattle.blogspot.com . Please lift her up in prayer today.

Jonah had a good night last night and is scheduled for his kidneys to be removed tomorrow. Thank you for continuing in prayer for him.

Keep praying!

Please keep praying for Jonah because he had a minor setback last night. He had blood transfusions because of a catheter problem. He is once again on dialysis this morning for 4 hours and the surgery is still scheduled for Wed. to remove his kidneys. His numbers (gases) aren't as good as they have been, but our God is bigger than the numbers. They want to remove his kidneys because then he can also get the other dialysis in his abdomen started which is better/easier? Pray, pray, pray! God knows all about his little body. Psalm 139:13 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."

4 hour dialysis today

Jonah did well again today with his dialysis. Brad and I had to leave for 2 days which is very difficult for us. I have been there since his birth and have been able to see him almost any time. I miss them already but we will be going back for the kidney removal surgery scheduled for Wednesday. God is still in charge and we are still leaning on Him and praying for healing for little Jonah. A verse that has been a great help for me is Isaiah 26:3 which says "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." We have seen miracle after miracle for the past 11 days and are looking forward to seeing what God has planned. Thank you so much for your continued prayers! Nancy (Jonah's Nana)

Today's Progress

Today was day # 2 for Jonah's dialysis, and it went well. Praise the Lord!
He was on dialysis for three hours in the early afternoon, and they were able to collect more than 100 cc's. What an amazing improvement from the previous days!
I am amazed and encouraged by the mighty work the Lord is doing. I stand in awe.

"Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirt departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his god, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever." Psalm 146:1-6

I am beyond thankful for these past 11 days I have spent with my sweet sweet nephew. All I can do is praise the Lord.
Thank you for your prayers!!
-Aunt Alyse

Successful Dialysis

Praise the Lord, Jonah underwent his surgery to get the dialysis hooked up in vein in his neck. All went well. Thank you for praying. This morning before the surgery when the doctors were having a meeting, one doctor asked the main doctor why he was not more bloated if he was only urinating 10cc's a day. He said "Where is all the fluid going?" He also was asking the head doctor why his numbers were so good with all that he was going through. Normally his potassium level would be high and his is not. The head doctor said, " I don't know, and I'm not asking."

In other words the Lord is answering our many prayers for Jonah, and there is no explanation as to why he is doing as well as he is considering his problems. We know the Lord is good and is taking care of sweet Jonah. He has a plan! It is awesome to see God working in such a practical and 'in your face' way. Jonah is scheduled to have his kidneys out this coming Wednesday if all continues to go well. Please continue to lift him up. Thank you so much! And Thanks be to God, for He is good and His mercy endures forever!

Dialysis in the Morning

Jonah has done well on the regulator ventilator and is scheduled to go into surgery to start his dialysis tomorrow morning sometime between 7:30 & 11:00 am. Please pray for him that this will go well and for the doctors hands. He will be having it through his neck instead of his abdomen at this point. Please also continue to pray for Scott and Amy. It is difficult to have their sweet baby going through this but at the same time it is the only option and we are all thankful that he has come this far. Praise the Lord for these last 9 days! We know the Lord has brought him this far and will continue to have his hand on Him.

Isaiah 41:10 says, " Fear not, for I am with you, Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

More news...

This is Nancy again. Alyse and I just returned to Scott and Amy's house from the hospital and found out right before we left that a dialysis procedure is tentatively scheduled for Friday. We are so thankful!! If Jonah does well on this ventilator he will have this procedure done to get rid of the fluids that are making his tiny body bloated. We pray this will be done and it is another step forward to healing for little Jonah. Thank you for your many prayers for him. I can feel them in the NICU as I watch him rest. He is such a sweet baby boy. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

1 WEEK OLD!

Today at 11:04 pm Jonah turned 1 week old. They were able to put him back on the regular ventilator this afternoon. We need to pray that he will be able to stay on it for 3-4 days. I was mistaken in my last blog, they won't take his kidneys out right away but they will do dialysis to get the extra fluid out of him and take down the bloating before they would remove his kidneys. So please pray that he does well on this ventilator.
Check out http://www.robynnsbattle.blogspot.com and pray for Robynn.
Thank you so much for your continued prayers. God is good!

Today Jonah's numbers are good. They had to put him back on the ossilating ventilator because of a little fluid accumulation in one lung. They are hoping to put him back on the regular ventilator tonight. Amy and Scott are able to put their hands under him and hold him on his bed. His blood pressure actually goes down when they do this. He likes it!! If Jonah is able to do well on the regular ventilator for 3-4 days they will remove his kidneys and have him on dialasis. We are so thankful that they can even consider doing this. Jonah is improving when no doctors thought that he would. Praise the Lord. Please continue to pray for his healing. It is so awesome to see the Lord at work and know he is holding little Jonah. Please also pray for rest for Scott and Amy. It is my prayer that each hour they sleep would count as two. Continue to pray for wisdom for the doctors and nurses. Thank you so much for continuing to pray!

A Good Day

This is Nancy, Scott's mom and Jonah's gramma (Nana). I Have been here with the family since Wed. May 14th when Jonah joined us. It's has been a bit of a roller coaster ride, but we are truly learning to trust God and not pay attention to the numbers and so many machines all around him. This has been a wonderful day and we are enjoying the blessings!! Jonah was able to get on a conventional ventilator and to the 2 or 3 Doctors "jaw-dropping" amazement his blood pressure went down instead of up when the change was made. One Doctor who has been looking after Jonah continued to come over and double check the numbers. We are so thankful to the Lord for this wonderful change. I was also able to view an ex-ray tonight before I left and it was such an amazing improvement since the first one I looked at on May 14th. His left lung, which was not working is now looking like his right lung!! And so it goes.....I know that the Lord is the great physician and He can do whatever He wills, but we will continue to ask, seek and knock on Jonah's behalf. Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement and prayers for our little blessing, Jonah. Scott and Amy are amazing parents already and we all feel the power of your prayers in the NICU (Neonatal intensive care unit). The nurses are asking to be with Jonah on their shifts. They all are falling in love with this little one.

Good news

I found out that yesterday an x-ray showed that Jonah had fluid in his lung, upon another x-ray it showed there was none. Doctors said there must have been a mistake with the x-ray. Praise the Lord for his healing touch!
Today Jonah is breathing with his ventilator set at 59% oxygen. Until now he has been breathing with it set at 100% oxygen. The goal is to be breathing at a lot less percentage of oxygen while still keeping his oxygen saturation level around 100%. Everytime they have tried to turn the oxygen level down he has not responded well. So we are thankful that he is now doing great at 59%. We also found out that today they will be putting him on a regular ventilator instead of the ossilating one that he has been on. This is great! Keep on praying, the Lord is working miracles!!

Another day has come and gone. Things are looking the same with Jonah. We rest in the Lord and trust His perfect plan. Scott and Amy continue to treasure the hours with their precious son. Hebrews 13:5 says, " I will never leave you nor forsake you."
I am filled with love for Jonah, Scott, and Amy but I am out of words.
God's word says this, "Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thess 5:16-17

Encouraged!

Tonight Scott and Amy had Pastor Steve and Connie come and we dedicated Jonah to the Lord. It was awesome for family and friends to gather around him and pray over him. Scott shared that God loves Jonah more than he and Amy do, and for that he is thankful. We had an awesome time of prayer. It is so wonderful that when we pray the Holy Spirit comes in and comforts and encourages our hearts. We have a peace knowing that Jonah belongs to the Lord whether he continues to live here with us or with God in heaven.

Just before we all came in for the dedication Scott and Amy came out of the NICU with big smiles sharing that Jonah had urinated 10 cc's which was more than the total of 3 he has done for the last 3.5 days. For all the little miracles we are thankful. Amy is a beautiful mommy enjoying her son, and Scott is a proud daddy. They are thankful for these precious days with their son. I am so honored to be able to share in this time with them. The Lord is pouring out his peace and love on them and it is so evident. He is truly upholding them during this time and the Lord is hearing our prayers. Thank you for your continued love and support through prayer. We are continuing to pray for a miracle that would 'drop all the doctors jaws', as pastor prayed, but we know that the Lord has a perfect plan for Jonah and we can trust Him in whatever it is.

This scripture was on my heart today: "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect, and complete lacking nothing." James 1:2

I know it is Scott and Amy's prayer that God be glorified!

Tonights update

I came down on the train today to see my sweet nephew and hug my brother and sister in law. Right now Jonah's numbers are good but it has been an up and down day. The doctors had a meeting today with Scott and Amy and family and let them know that unless a miracle happens Jonah is not going to make it. At the end of the meeting when Scott was asked what his spiritual belief was he said, 'To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.' 2 Corinthians 5:8.

Scott and Amy have a peace knowing that Jonah is in the Lord's hands, it's completely out of their own hands and they are trusting in the Lord completely. We are blessed to have Jonah here and we continue to have hope because we know that the Lord can heal him if He wills it. Today Scott and Amy have been at his side, spending time with him. Please pray for rest for Amy and Scott and strength for the new day tomorrow. His mercies are new everymorning.

continue to pray

Amy is at the hospital with Jonah. This morning he needed a small blood transfusion and it wasn't looking good. Many prayers went up and now Jonah's numbers are good again. Please continue to pray for him. We have hope the Lord can pull him through. Thank you for your prayers.

good news at end of day

We have news that Jonah's oxygen saturation is at 99. This is great. 100 is the goal, and earlier today his was only at 80. They also have given him a medication to help him to urinate, it has worked and he has definitely peed!! I just have to say that being able to see him yesterday after he was born was such a blessing. He is a beautiful baby boy, with pink skin and good muscle tone. I miss him already. Amy should be getting out of the hospital tomorrow and will be able to go see her beautiful little boy! Scott has been amazing. He has been going between the two hospitals seeing his wife and son. As our sister Alyse said, 'He is definitely filled with the Lord's strength'. Continue to pray for Scott and Amy as they lean on the Lord hour by hour. His grace is sufficient for us! Also pray for Amy for a quick recovery from the cesarean. And continue to pray for the Lord's healing touch on Jonah. I know He is holding him, and sustaining Him. Blessings to all you praying people out there.

Baby Jonah

This is Amanda Moore the proud aunt of my new nephew Jonah Scott Goodman. I wanted to create this site to update all who have been praying for Scott, Amy, and baby Jonah Goodman.

Jonah was born C-section on May 14, 2008 at 11:04 am and weighed 6 lbs 6 oz. He came out with some cries and some urine. This was a praise! Jonah was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease about 3 weeks ago and doctors said it was fatal and most likely he wouldn't survive birth. He is now over a day old! He was transported to the UCLA hospital and is in the NICU in good hands. Please pray for his lungs that he can eventually be able to breathe without the ventilator. Scott and Amy are trusting the Lord and thankful for everyone's prayers and support. I will update when we get new info.