Scott Swanson
Sweet Home’s Sept. 11 volleyball game against Woodburn was more than just an athletic event.
The players all wore custom-made tie-dyed orange socks and the student cheering section was decked out in bright orange.
All in support of a 4-year-old boy, Noah Holman, who is undergoing treatments for leukemia.
The support was generated by a group of students, led by senior Katen Edwards, who said she’s known Noah since he was a month old. He’s the cousin of the Kurtz family, with whom Edwards lives, she said.
Noah is battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, for a year and a half. It occurs when a bone marrow cell develops errors in its DNA. He missed the start of preschool two weeks ago, because of his illness, but was able to start last week, Edwards said.
Noah’s mother, Jesse Holman, said her son was diagnosed shortly before his third birthday and has undergone “front-line treatment,” the “heavy chemo.” He currently has to return to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland once a month for a chemotherapy treatment and has to take oral chemo each night.
Edwards and Katie Kurtz, a senior on the volleyball team, decided they wanted to do something for Noah and his parents.
“I’ve just been close to his family,” Edwards said. “He’s so smart for his age, it’s insane. No matter how sick he is, he’s always in a good mood.”
They thought about doing a raffle, but Edwards said the paperwork was significant, and they decided against it. Instead, volleyball team mothers put together a gift basket and Edwards and fellow student Brook Burke worked the crowd during the Woodburn game, collecting donations that totaled “a little over $600,” with participants entered in a drawing for the basket.
Leadership Class students made posters to promote the “Orange Out” event.
Edwards, “controls the social media for the school” made sure details were posted for the student body.
“It wasn’t an official activity,” said Leadership member Casey Tow. “We just kind of got involved.”
Although Noah ended up at Doernbecher with a fever on the day of the game, volleyball team members wore “Team Noah” shirts, which were sold at the game.
“We sold out,” Edwards said.
All in all, it was a good night.
“Kids didn’t even know Noah and they showed up supporting him,” Edwards said. “It’s crazy what a small community can do when we come together.”
“It’s just kind of cool, to stand up for someone in the community,” Tow said.
Holman said she was surprised by the teens’ effort.
“Honestly, what they did was amazing,” she said. “For one, teenagers don’t normally think about community. And they couldn’t have picked better timing.”
She said Noah’s outlook is “very good.”
“The survival rate is really good, but there are a lot of side effects,” she said, noting that he will continue to receive chemo until 2021.
Holman was a full-time dental assistant before Noah was diagnosed, she said. His father, Josh Holman, is a UPS driver. She quit her job to care for Noah and has since had another baby, a 1-year-old girl.
“It’s been hard on the family,” she said. “We lost a full income, so we had to learn to live a little bit different.
“Our lives changed drastically within one year.”