Connor Man's Medical Fund
Donation protected
Connor Michael White (also known as "Connor Man") is 12 years-old and lives in Bangor, Maine. He is in sixth grade at the Cohen school and loves it! He enjoys long walks, jumping on his trampoline, bouncing on yoga balls, puzzles, eating (what little boy doesn't?), educational games on his I-pad & staying busy.
At just a year old- Connor started to exhibit certain behaviors that concerned his doctors. Eye contact was practically nonexistent, hand-flapping, lack of speech, odd vocalizations, peculiar toy habits, struggles with change, and hypersensitivity to sounds were part of his every day life.
At the age of three- an official diagnosis of severe autism was given. Connor's older sister had been diagnosed with a high-functioning form of autism just two years prior to this, but Connor's mother knew that his needs would be even greater. She went to the Department of Health & Human Services to discuss funding options for her son. The nurse assigned to the case told Rachel (Connor's mom) that she might want to consider institutionalization and to recognize how difficult life would be with a son like Connor. She refused and said that would NEVER be an option.
Connor attended an ABA-preschool & went onto a special education kindergarten. The stresses/sensory overload that came along with the transition into a new school was blamed for Connor losing all of his hair for almost two years. The world can be very cruel when they see you as "acting different"- but when you add looking different- the negative comments grow. :(
In his dozen years, Connor has had incredible accomplishments. Though he cannot speak- he understands remarkably well and can communicate through an I-pad. Though it had been predicted that he would likely be in diapers for his entire life- he was toilet trained at age ten. He finished his first 5k race last summer and will do another this summer! Although there are many difficult days and though people continue to point, stare, or make hurtful remarks in public- Connor is a shining star that has contributions to make in this world.
While Connor's life has been full of every imaginable therapy available- there have been major medical breakthroughs discovered in the treatment of autism with umbilical cord blood-derived stem cell treatments. Because Connor's blood doesn't contain high doses of heavy metals- he is a candidate for this potentially life changing medical care. Insurance will not cover such therapy & he and his mother must travel almost 5,000 miles to receive treatment. Connor will receive stem-cells 4 times over the course of 12 months. The therapy will begin June 2015 and continue September 2015, December 2015, and March 2016 if if Connor's mother can raise enough money for their expenses. Rachel works part-time teaching at UMaine while Connor is in school because taking care of him is a full-time job. She has been dreaming of this treatment for the past five years and an incredible opportunity now exists. Please know that no donation is considered too small & every $5 is a step towards making this dream come true.
http://www.wlbz2.com/story/news/health/2015/05/19/rachel-precopio-white-connor-stem-cells-autism-panama/27599107/
At just a year old- Connor started to exhibit certain behaviors that concerned his doctors. Eye contact was practically nonexistent, hand-flapping, lack of speech, odd vocalizations, peculiar toy habits, struggles with change, and hypersensitivity to sounds were part of his every day life.
At the age of three- an official diagnosis of severe autism was given. Connor's older sister had been diagnosed with a high-functioning form of autism just two years prior to this, but Connor's mother knew that his needs would be even greater. She went to the Department of Health & Human Services to discuss funding options for her son. The nurse assigned to the case told Rachel (Connor's mom) that she might want to consider institutionalization and to recognize how difficult life would be with a son like Connor. She refused and said that would NEVER be an option.
Connor attended an ABA-preschool & went onto a special education kindergarten. The stresses/sensory overload that came along with the transition into a new school was blamed for Connor losing all of his hair for almost two years. The world can be very cruel when they see you as "acting different"- but when you add looking different- the negative comments grow. :(
In his dozen years, Connor has had incredible accomplishments. Though he cannot speak- he understands remarkably well and can communicate through an I-pad. Though it had been predicted that he would likely be in diapers for his entire life- he was toilet trained at age ten. He finished his first 5k race last summer and will do another this summer! Although there are many difficult days and though people continue to point, stare, or make hurtful remarks in public- Connor is a shining star that has contributions to make in this world.
While Connor's life has been full of every imaginable therapy available- there have been major medical breakthroughs discovered in the treatment of autism with umbilical cord blood-derived stem cell treatments. Because Connor's blood doesn't contain high doses of heavy metals- he is a candidate for this potentially life changing medical care. Insurance will not cover such therapy & he and his mother must travel almost 5,000 miles to receive treatment. Connor will receive stem-cells 4 times over the course of 12 months. The therapy will begin June 2015 and continue September 2015, December 2015, and March 2016 if if Connor's mother can raise enough money for their expenses. Rachel works part-time teaching at UMaine while Connor is in school because taking care of him is a full-time job. She has been dreaming of this treatment for the past five years and an incredible opportunity now exists. Please know that no donation is considered too small & every $5 is a step towards making this dream come true.
http://www.wlbz2.com/story/news/health/2015/05/19/rachel-precopio-white-connor-stem-cells-autism-panama/27599107/
Organizer
Rachel Lynn Ortiz
Organizer
Bangor, ME
