This story is about Eli, a bright, energetic, angel of a boy ready to take on the world. Unfortunately, Eli has been suffering from dysphagia his entire life. The rigors of set feeding schedules, uncomfortable and strenuous nutrition intake, social isolation, and emotional heartache caused by having a son with dysphagia have put a tremendous strain on his entire family and their extended social and employment infrastructure.
The care necessary to rehabilitate Eli’s swallow and feeding is unimaginable. He is seen regularly by a pediatrician, gastroenterologist, pulmonologist, otolaryngologist, and speech therapist. All of this hard work has paid off and Eli is now at the point where he can swallow thick liquids without aspirating. It is the family goal to have Eli swallowing normally before he enters kindergarten. Given Eli’s energy, the commitment of his family, and his dedicated therapy team, we believe this is attainable.
This progress has come at an incredible cost to his family and the bills required to help Eli have created a true financial hardship. Eli’s mom Jaime contacted us looking for assistance in finding a charitable organization that might help pay for the countless debt that has accrued to care for Eli’s disability. This problem is not unique to Eli. In fact, more than 60% of personal bankruptcies are due to medical bills and there has been nearly a 50% increase in health care-related personal bankruptcies over the six-year period from 2001 to 2007.
One of the board members suggested that the family establish a webpage on www.YouCaring.com. This website allows one to set up a fundraising page for medical expenses, mission trips, tuition and other personal causes. The site is supported by donations and does not charge a fee. As with Eli’s health, Jaime took the bull by the horns and sprang into action. Within days, Jaime’s site was up and running. We won’t spoil the news… to learn more about Eli and his fundraising event click here! It’s a great story.
The NFOSD reviewed Jaime’s inquiry and sprung into action. Eli needs your help.
The NFOSD Team
NFOSD has an amazing group of committed volunteers. They immediately understood our issue, didn’t sidetrack the discussion, performed due diligence by reviewing some of our medical bills, and suggested a solution which is actually helping solve our financial issue. This allows us to focus on what’s important, which is our son. We love Eli and will do anything for him; we want him to continue to thrive. The National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders gave us a real solution to a real problem and we couldn’t be more thankful.