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I've copied and pasted this from my Facebook so that those of you on Twitter who have asked can share this. You can find the original Facebook Post trying to get Pusheen's attention here and the original Instagram Post here.
{Update June 15th, 2019}: Noah was so thrilled to see himself in comic form, and that was a hard secret to keep. ABC11 recorded his reaction and it is the sweetest thing ever. Sadly, only weeks after this video Noah would take a pain-free breath in Heaven and leave behind a family devastated that a transplant didn't happen for him in time. I am so incredibly thankful that the Pusheen team made this happen for Noah when they did. It was the last time I ever saw him - and it is a memory and a moment I will cherish forever. I wasn't able to sit by his bedside and tell him goodbye - but if I had been these are the things I would have said.}
The original blog post is below.
I will be forever encouraging my friends and family to support this toy company - who didn't have to do what they did for a kid who they had never even met.
Third Update: Pusheen's artist, Claire, made a generous donation last week to Noah's COTA fund and Noah thought it was SO cool that her name popped up in the feed for donor to his fund. The company is so incredibly nice - and I can assure you that I'll be supporting Pusheen more than any other toy company. You an all expect your child's birthday gifts to be on theme.
Second Update: Pusheen DID reach out to me and they want to make a donation to Noah's COTA fund (which is what will pay for a large chunk of his care and medical expenses) and to share his story. You can see Noah's reaction to that news here: Noah Reacts.
While it might look like he isn't "that" excited he is so, so sick and in so much pain. Keep a close eye on his eyes and on his hands. He lit up when I told him "really!" & went from sitting perfectly still to moving around a good bit. Just this conversation and then giggling at Brooklynn's laugh had him out of breath and pushing his "pain" button to release pain meds. It honestly shocked me how tiny he is just since I saw him last (it wasn't that long ago) and even his voice sounds different. I am forever thankful to Lindsay Tigar (my boss babe journalist friend) who reached out directly to Pusheen's PR team and brought the post and the hashtag to their attention. Pretty darn thankful for them, too, for reaching out so quickly. I can tell you what toys all of my friends' kids are getting from now until they outgrow stuffed animals at every holiday and birthday; PUSHEEN ERRYTHING <3 We just got home from Chapel Hill (as in just walked in) and the giant Pusheen is here. He'll have it by Wednesday morning. THANK you all again, and stay tuned - I may have one more surprise in store for all of you (even mom).
Emily and mom both told me Noah hardly smiles or laughs or reacts lately - so having him grin and smile and wave to the camera was HUGE. My heart is so full of gratitude you don't even know.
First Update: A friend of mine Kayla Duvall-Cox messaged me she thinks we can get 20 people to donate $20 for the big Pusheen and she wants to be person 1/20. So if you'd like to be one of the other 20 people message me and I'll give you my Venmo! I would post it - but I don't want to accidentally end up with more than 20 $20 donations!
ORIGINAL POST:
Please read this and help us or I’ll mail you the tiny Legos the twins got for Christmas that I’ve stepped on twice already this morning.
This was Noah yesterday.
Mom was texting me about how he was having another horrible day and how he was crying because he’s exhausted and tired of being in the hospital (he’s been there for over a month already). I asked mom to pile him in all of his toys and snap a photo for me when he was feeling better because the twins love to see pictures of him and his Pusheen toys.
He’s their biggest fan, I really think that.
So much so that his nurses decorated his windows for him with little Pusheens and when someone asks, “What can I send to Noah to make him smile,” we always tell them a Pusheen he doesn’t have yet. The twins sent him two last month and now I follow Pusheen now on Instagram just to stay “cool” as far as Noah goes.
Lately he’s been asking mom for the giant Pusheen. & I’ll be honest - I wish I could spend the money on it because yesterday when he was crying and mom told Noah I needed a picture of him with all of them... he stopped crying and smiled this big.
Noah is new to Instagram and social media and I may not be able to get him a giant Pusheen toy BUT I can write this post, share this photo, and share his story and hope that Pusheen notices. When you’re an 11 year old kid and your favorite brand comments, likes, or responds to your posts that is THE coolest feeling ever. I mean... it’s cool at 31 when it happens to me.
Noah should be nearing the end of 5th grade getting ready for 6th grade to start ... instead he’s waiting on a triple organ transplant at Chapel Hill because of advanced lung and liver failure due to Cystic Fibrosis related complications.
He’s 11.
He still gets excited to be piled up with all of his stuffed animals. He still writes Santa letters. He still cries when they tell him he has to have another tube placed somewhere. He still gets scared. He still needs my mom there ALL day some days (she works 4 hours away and is making 8 hour road trips to stay with him as much as possible and also keep her insurance so she misses work when the days aren’t “okay” for him).
He doesn’t get to leave the hospital for what’s looking like a year. He’ll need to transplant and heal before he’s allowed to come home. As of now we still haven’t found a match and his health has declined rapidly in the last month. So much so he almost was ineligible for transplant last week but he rallied and got strong enough to stay on the list (thank God).
What THAT means is we’ve got less than a year to get Pusheen’s attention y’all. #SayHeyToNoahPusheen < when you hit share on this post make sure you tag them. Share it to Twitter if you’ve got it. & Instagram (where I’m heading next to post).
How cool would it be if the artists could make a little drawing of Pusheen with Noah ?! I mean... I feel like anything is possible with momentum and social media. Y’all helped me raised what... 30K in two weeks the last time a Noah post went viral?!
Some of y’all have offered lungs and livers.
Some of y’all have sent money.
Toys.
Cards.
Pajamas.
Bedroom decorations for his room.
Coffee gift cards for mom.
Shared his posts out of fear I’ll send tiny Legos and because you love him.
Done fundraisers.
The list goes on.
So many of you have done SO much.
So I know I’m not asking too much to ask y’all to help me get Pusheen’s attention & see if we can get them to say something to Noah or IF WE GET SUPER LUCKY draw a little cartoon JUST for him.
Social media helps amazing things happen for children with stronger spirits than the bodies they were born into. I spent five months in and out of hospitals pregnant with the twins and wasn’t nearly as sick as he is and underwent far less surgery/procedures and I was so depressed I was on suicide watch and refused to shower. You couldn’t have gotten a smile out of me if your life depended on it and I was a grown woman who KNEW my pregnancy days would end eventually.
Noah has been battling CF since he was a tiny baby. He doesn’t “know” when a transplant will come or if it will. He doesn’t “know” if or when he will get to leave Chapel Hill. He just knows he is in pain. He knows he hasn’t been to school since 4th grade. He knows he misses his friends. He knows he can’t go home and see his dog.
Noah is surviving on hope and faith right now that a transplant will happen soon and be successful.
& silly as it may seem - those little Pusheens give him something to do every day in the hospital. Mom said he’s always looking for the ones he doesn’t have yet and following the new ones. It’s his hobby when he can’t get out of bed.
So who wants to help a little boy stay smiling just a LITTLE longer by helping me get their attention? Some of you know celebrities (locally and nationally), some of you have 472911 followers, some of you work for newspapers and local media sites, and ALL of you can hit “share” and use the hashtag #SayHeyToNoahPusheen and then tag their official account or email them.
Tag Ellen DeGeneres.
Tag The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Tag whoever you think would see his story and pull a string to attract a cute kitty named Pusheen (kitties love strings you know).
Mom is going to show him how many people are helping get their attention. So if you have something positive and uplifting or funny or well... HAPPY to say, be sure to #SayHeyToNoah in the comments, too 💙
{#PusheenSaidHeyToNoah - it's 10am July 1st and I'm re-reading this blog post and can remember hoping they would see it ... and now I'm just so incredibly thankful they saw it in time. None of us could have known when I posted this we only had a month left with him here. Emily and I had talked about how he didn't look good lately and we were worried something "maybe possibly could happen" so when Pusheen reached out and planned to do it quickly we were thankful "just in case." But we didn't really think anything would happen. I know we didn't - because none of us were prepared when it did. We were all prepared for at least a year at Chapel Hill. Hug your kids today. You aren't guaranteed more time, none of us are. I'm sitting in my living room making my to-do list for the day and the twins are playing with the Pusheens Noah gave them and Brooklynn is asking if we can still get a train for around our tree for Noah since he doesn't get to have one in Heaven. I told her if he wants a Pusheen train in Heaven I am certain God will make that happen. Listening to the twins talk about how it's sad he died but they are glad he doesn't have to be bored in the hospital anymore or get more shots or be sad anymore breaks my heart as much as it warms it. I wish things had been different and that we were talking about his new lungs instead and picking out "Get Well Soon" Pusheen toys for him instead of packing one into our car today that mom didn't get in time for him to enjoy. I know this is long - I just don't really have the right words for how I feel when I sit down and really think about it. People keep asking me how I am and I am doing okay. Of the four of us (me, mom, Emily, and Olivia) I was "the least" close to Noah - and it doesn't mean I didn't love him or know him, but I didn't live with Noah his entire life. I didn't carry him in my belly. I didn't raise him. He wasn't my son. He wasn't my child's best friend in the world. The hardest part for me is what this is doing to my mom and sisters. I appreciate all of you who keep praying for them (and for me) - please continue to pray for my family as his birthday draws nearer. The twins birthday was hard for me for a few years after the NICU because so many emotions would rush back - and I didn't even lose them. So on August 10th, please think of him - and of them. & Maybe send a new Pusheen toy to your local children's hospital in his honor since we can't mail him birthday gifts to Heaven. - Victoria}