Noah Christopher Burgoyne

February 11, 1974

Born

February 15, 2002

Died

Cross of Christ

  Noah - His name means "Rest, Comfort"

In the Old Testament, there was a man named Noah, he was a man who knew, followed and spoke for God, and who had continually warned the people to turn to God before it was too late.

Noah was commissioned by God to build  the ark which allowed himself, his family, and the animals of each species to survive the great Flood.

God had no choice but to destroy the inhabitants of the earth because their wickedness had become so great and had corrupted everyone but Noah's family.

Water is a cleansing agent, and the Lord had completely cleansed the earth so that He could continue to work with humanity. He had to start over if you will, and He did it through the few people who had remained faithful to Him.

After the Flood was over, Noah received the sign of the rainbow as a covenant, the banner of God's promise that He would never again destroy the world by water.

Noah had a heart for the people, a heart of comfort and rest, a heart that wanted the best for them. That was Noah of old, and that was Noah Burgoyne too!.

Christopher - "bearing Christ" "to bear,     to carry" "Christ's armor bearer"

Burgoyne - From Bourgogne, now Burgundy, an old province of France having Dijon as it's center. A name given to a native of that province.

Noah and his baseball team (Windom park) N.E. Mpls, Mn

  Family Picture 1980 at Aunt Patti and Rick's Wedding

Noah's footbal game in Powderhorn park, south Mpls, Mn

Noah with his powderhorn parkboard football team. 1987 - 1988

Noah's High School Graduation 1991

Noah and friend Travis

Noah with his church missions group in Mexico

The boys marching in the Northeast Mpls parade

Noah's team with Craig and brother Tony as coaches

Noah and Jonah helping out another group

Craig, Ellen, Noah and Jonah at Lake geneva Family camp

Noah moving up in baseball!

Noah, Jonah, Jenny and Marsha from camp

Noah, Jonah and friends Jenny and Marsha

One of Noah's graduation pictures

Noah, Jonah and friends Jenny and Marsha

Noah and friends from camp

Diploma and speech time for Noah

Noah, Craig and others at graduation luncheon

Noah with his missions team in Mexico

Noah and friend climbing the pyramids in Mexico

Noah, Jonah and Michael at Michael's wedding

Noah in the pyramid

Noah and one of the team

Family picture (+) at Noah's wedding

Craig and Noah, the 2 fishermen at the lake

Noah's Family Wedding Picture

Noah dancing at his wedding

Minnesota Challenge Incarceration Program

                              CIP

Willow River, Mn

Noah, another graduation day

Noah saying goodbye to the guys

marching to graduation

        The old gym

Noah's in great shape

Noah came home from CIP in 1999 healthy, free, and ready to go forward in his new life. He went to work with his dad, something he had always wanted to do and he did very well at it.

On December 17th 2000, Noah was at his brothers home when they received a phone call that a friend he had been working with, (she was battling drugs, and alcohol, and a divorce she didn't want), and was threatening suicide. He had tried to help her before and with good results, so he was committed to trying again.

Noah went immediately to her after stopping home to get his cell phone and tell his dad he would be back in a bit as he had something he had to take care of.

When he walked into her home, he found her standing in the kitchen taking pills. He got them away from her and stopped her, but she took a knife off the kitchen counter to cut herself. Noah grabbed the knife and threw it in the sink all the time talking to her to clam her down. While all of that was going on, he saw three suicide notes on the other kitchen counter which distracted him for just a moment.

At that point she grabbed her car keys and ran out the door to get away. It was at that one moment in time that Noah made the mistake of his life, as he ran after her, caught up to her before she could drive away, and jumped into the passenger side of the car to stop her. But she didn't stop, instead she took off and sped away at full speed, and then refusing to be helped, she ran the car into the trees. 

When she hit the trees, the car doors flew open and she went flying out the drivers door onto the highway, where she was promptly hit by a snow plow and got exactly what she demanded to have, she died.

Noah was thrown out the front window that had been shattered and he was thrown into a ditch where he broke his neck. Noah broke his neck at C2 of his spine, which is very high, and you cannot move or breath on your own with that injury. Death would have been the outcome for Noah that day, and it would have been within just 3 to 5 minutes, but the Lord had other plans.

It was northern Mn, on Dec 17th and it was 10 degrees below 0. In the vehicle right behind that snow plow was a couple who had everything Noah needed to stay alive. They had a flashlight to find Noah in the ditch, a car full of blankets to keep Noah warm, and both of them knew CPR very well. So, the man got on the ground and crawled underneath Noah breathing for him until the ambulance came.

That began Noah's (and ours) very hard journey through the next 14 months of his life. Noah had the surgery and care needed to put him in order, and then lived in three different hospitals experiencing tremendous hardships, pain and heartbreak. He was very healthy, and in very good shape, but it was extrememly hard with that injury as he was paralized from the neck down and that is a very hard injury to have.

It was a hard life to live, but he lived it with courage, grace and perseverence. He forgave the woman right away, he knew she was very troubled and out of control, but he also knew that it was he that had made the choice to try to stop her. It was the worst move he could have made that day, by jumping in her car to try to stop her, but he had to try. He was so sure he could still help her as he had done it so many times before, and also because he knew she was really serious this time, shown to him by the suicide notes.

Noah tried but failed to stop her, but he also made another grave mistake that day. Noah always, without failure, wore his seatbelt when he was driving and also when he was riding, always, without exception, except this one time!  This one time he got caught up in the moment, in the trumoil of it all and didn't think to snap it, and it cost him dearly.

Noah in the first weeks after the incident. He was now paralized, bound to a ventilator to breath, dependent on everyone else to take care of him, and always in a delicate condition as you are always living on life support. At this point he is experiencing the extreme cold and hot temperature swings the body goes through when the biological thermometer is not working right.

This is 4 months after now, and he is about to get the Halo off. The halo is an apparatus that helps to heal the broken neck and gives you the best chance for recovery. All people who break their neck today get one of these, or should. This is Noah's room in the Rehab hospital.

                             Noah with some of his nurses and therapists.

              This was in the rehabilitation hospital where he lived for one year.

This is Noah trying to be gracious and have his picture taken. He didn't like my taking pictures of him in that condition and who can blame him. But, they have become very important photos that may have saved many, many lives since, so I know he wouldn't mind now.

Living your life in a hospital is no fun, but he tired to make the very best of it and did a great job.

The things you go through in all of this are very hard, and the hardships this injury can bring are many and some are very severe. Noah did experience many encouraging things as well, as the Lord was very good to him and we saw many improvements, but sadly, when you are paralyzed like this you are always in jeopardy of major and massive physical problems. You are also always at the hands of some people who do not do what they can, should, or even what they must do for the safety of you life.

On February 15th 2002 at about 1:20 am, because a number of people didn't do what they were supposed to do, Noah died. Many deadly mistakes were made that night, one of them was made days before by taking him off a medicine that he had to have to live. The night he died it was a series of things that person after person did not do, and it cost Noah his life.

I had been there with him the whole 14 months, taking care of him, and working to get him out of the hospital and home. I was trying to get him into a safer environment where he could live a better life, but I couldn't do it.

At the end of it, all I could do was to stand at the end of his bed and watch my son die not being able to do anything to stop it. I cannot tell you what a hard thing that was to do, it is beyond description. Then came the second hardest thing I have ever done, which was to have his funeral and bury his body under the ground.

Noah was a marvelous young man with everything to live for. He was the kindest person you ever knew who just loved life and loved people. He cared about you and wanted you to do well in life, and it hurt him when you weren't doing well as that was who he was. John 15:13 is the verse that tells something of Noah's life, and not only of his whole life, but especially of the last part of it. He tried to help a friend that day, he gave his life trying to save hers. It was a noble and honest action to stand in the gap for her so she could live, but he also came to realize later that some people cannot be helped, as they do not really want help, they just what what they want.

He also came to realize as hard as it was, that he should have let her go because he could not help her. He should have done it because there were so many other people in life who really did want help, and also for the children that he could have helped which was such a big part of his heart. He came to realize that he should not have put his life in jeopardy unnecessarily and left her to the authorities. He came to realize that he should have lived to fulfill his life, and that was a very hard reality to face. His life was not wasted in the end, not at all, but knowing when you are over your head, and making wise decisions must be a part of all of our lives.

We all make many mistakes in life trying to do what we think is best at the time, but we all need to slow down, think through many things and make very wise choices. Throughout those 14 months in those 3 hospitals there were countless people who took care of Noah, and he had a constant flow of opportunities to use his heart of love and compassion. There were so many people who did not do as they should do, who were careless with his life, and many who treated him terrible. Yet, he willingly forgive them, treated them with love and respect right in middle of it all and right up to the end. Some of the treatment was really bad, but he loved and forgave them anyway, and in so doing he taught them how they should act, how to treat people, and he showed them what love really looked like.

What I have done since Noah's death is to become a speaker for MADD. I speak to their IMPACT panels, which are events that offenders who have received DWI's or DUI's must attend in MN.

I also speak to High Schools, Jr High's and even some Grade School assemblies. I speak in many prisons as well, and wherever I go and tell the story of Noah's life. I challenge people not to take their lives for granted or take them too lightly. I challenge them to pay the price for their own lives by protecting them and living them well, and that if they will do that, they will not jepordize someone else's life. I challenge them to live and appreciate their lives as they cannot afford to lose them.

People are very receptive and hear me clearly. It is the least I can do not only for them, but especially for my son. Noah would very much appreciate that his life is being used to help people, and not only young people, but especially children and prisoners. They are often the last people that really get the help they need, and it would really bless his heart to know that some are really getting the kind of help they need.

What would Noah tell people if he could? Buckel up, drive slow, don't move on emotions but with wisdom. Reject all thoughts of suicide, seek out and get the help you need, and live your lives to the full. Live and do the best you can by respecting your lives. Life is too precious to lose, or waste, and certainly to great to throw away for any reason.

  Once lost,

These sites are dedicated to Noah, as children had such a special place in his heart

A new episode in Noah's life

He seeks to save all who are lost.