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,