There was no deejay booth set up in Bridgeport for Ryan Haws’ family on New Year’s Eve. There was no full service bar offering virgin daiquiris or catering service offering exotic foods getting things ready for ringing in 2017 in their still freshly renovated home.

 

Even without all of those material requirements many of desperately want, in Ryan Haws’ 37 years on this planet he’s never had a better New Year’s Eve. In fact, he’s never had a better New Year’s Day or start to a New Year in general.

 

The reason for that is simple. For the first time in more than 16 months, the family of Ryan Haws was complete. Not just complete in the fact that family was visiting beyond his wife and children, but complete in the fact that for the first time in his 16 months on this earth the son of Ryan and Katie Haws – Noah – was home and not in the hospital.

 

“He actually came home on Dec. 1,” said Haws of his son after his most recent multi-months-long stay at Ruby Memorial.

 

Think about that for a moment for any parent out there who finds time to bemoan every facet of life of their own or issues with their own children. For the last 16-plus months, Noah Haws has either been in Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown or staying in a hospital in Philadelphia dealing with surgery and chemotherapy.

 

Before talking about getting Noah home, it’s important to know why this beautiful child knew nothing but the often sanitary, sterile and odd world of hospital for all but the last month of his life. Noah Haws, in 2015, came into the world as Ryan and Katie Haws’ third child. He just arrived two months early, which isn’t entirely unusual.

 

Things, however, became unusual quickly. With the early birth, Noah’s lungs had not yet formed completely – again not unusual.  As time passed the progress that should be made wasn’t taking place. In November of 2015, testing was done to see if there were issues for the slow progress and what the tests revealed was something all parents of newborn children dread.

 

An ultrasound found masses on Noah’s right kidney. The precancerous masses led to the removal of the right kidney, but he still struggled with breathing post-surgery. In fact, a month later progress was at a standstill and a second ultrasound took place on the remaining kidney.

 

Sadly, 11 more masses were found on his remaining kidney. From there, Noah departed Morgantown and was taken to Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia where the Haws’ family had a doctor in the neonatal intensive care unit who was world-renowned for dealing with cases of this nature. Considering Noah didn’t have another kidney to fall back on, finding the best care was the family’s only option.

  

“That seems like a long time ago, but we eventually left there where he had tremendous care and went back to Morgantown where they’ve been handling Noah until he recently came home,” said Ryan.

 

Before getting to the point of where they’re at, Noah Haws underwent a 19-week course of chemotherapy. As of this moment, it has paid off.

 

“We had to have one last scan to make sure his kidney didn’t have any more growth and the scan, so far so good,” said Ryan. “They haven’t seen any new growth.”

 

With progress being made, the Haws family was beginning to hear that a homecoming for Noah was possible. It stated in late September, or perhaps early October, but Ryan and Katie Haws knew they were getting close to returning to some level of normalcy for their family that includes 3-year-old Wesley and 7-year-old Reid.

 

“When we heard the murmurs, we started getting set up with home healthcare, nursing and things of that nature and we got into a new home where we knew we would have everything that was needed, such as the proper electric to handle the needs of the machines, to make sure we could care for him at home,” said Haws. “It was a good thing we started because around the first of November it became clear that it was going to happen.”

 

Initially, the return was delayed due to a cold. But that day arrived and it was a beautiful day on Dec. 1 where Noah Haws finally left the hospital and came home.

 

“As we were loading up from the hospital and were getting ready to leave, and I’m not an emotional guy, I got emotional knowing that we’re finally leaving getting him home,” said Ryan. “We were used to the idea of not being home with our entire family so it was going to be different. Different this time was going to be a good thing.”

 

While there are still obstacles in the household, the important thing is that everyone is in the household. The Haws’ can deal with the machines, they can deal with the constant healthcare, the nurses and most importantly they want to deal with having all three of their boys together under one roof for more than just an occasional hospital visit.

 

“We had to split time with the kids and you realize you’re not dealing, no matter how hard you try, with a family unit. It’s just different when everyone’s not together and things take different directions, even the amount of attention you have to give,” said Ryan. “That’s changed.”

 

Now, the older brothers are getting to know their baby brother even as someone is with Noah – and awake – around the clock.

 

“Wesley just loves him and runs in to see him constantly, even when he probably shouldn’t … Reid loves him, too, but he’s a little more cautious. It’s been amazing to watch the interaction,” said Ryan.

 

It’s been amazing on a number of other fronts as well. Ryan said doctors in Morgantown are hopeful that by spring that Noah can be off the ventilator and just have oxygen. That will happen as work continues to make his lungs stronger and see more breathing on his own take place.

 

“We got here partially because we had a lot of help along the way from family and friends and from people we’ve never met or don’t know. It’s been incredible,” said Haws. “ … I hear from people everywhere, people I may not know, and those expressions of love and caring have made a difference. When you can actually feel the support and know a community is pulling for you it is important. I have no adequate way to express our family’s complete gratitude.”

 

Most recently, Ryan and Katie Haws did something all parents want to do with their children. They only waited 16 months to do it.

 

“We took our first walk outside and even though it required a lot of preparation, it was worth it. I was wondering what he’s seeing through his eyes, what he’s smelling for the first time and it all made everything feel a bit normal for a change,” said Ryan.

 

And normal was the perfect norm on New Year’s Eve.

 

“We had exactly what we wanted. We had our family there, we played games and our two older boys and Noah were together,” said Ryan. “It took us a while to get there, but it was wonderful … Yeah, it was the best start to a New Year I’ve ever experienced.”

 

• Visit the Website www.theadventuresofnoah.com.
• Visit their Facebook page for updated information by clicking HERE.
• Click HERE for a GoFundMe page.

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Ryan and Katie Haws with Noah in their new home, while the second photo shows the family a year ago in what was the "norm" for them to occasionally all be together. Noah is shown happy at home in the third photo, while he dons a Superman shirt, perhaps showing he was still fighting to get home last year. Bottom photo shows Noah at home playing and enjoying his new digs. Photos courtesy of the Haws family.