Dear Friends & Family,

I'm Nicole, Christina Vinson's twin sister. If you're reading this, odds are that you know at least some of the details of my nephew, Elias's situation.

For those who are learning about him for the first time (or don't know him well), he's a fun-loving, goofy, super-smart, musical, empathetic, thoughtful first grader who is also neurodiverse. Elias has high-functioning autism which presents in extremely aggressive behavior, most often toward his parents, my sister Christina and brother-in-law Zach.

Over the past few weeks, his behavioral challenges have reached extremes no one should ever have to experience. I won't go into great detail, but the level of emotional distress this family has gone through this year is more than most will experience in a lifetime. I was home in Michigan last summer, and witnessing a single meltdown had my parents and me in tears—nearly physically ill seeing Elias struggle so intensely.

I experienced it one time—but this happens every week, sometimes multiple times a day in the Vinsons’ daily life. The load of stress, anguish, fear and pain on Christina and Zach is unfathomable; most of all, it's heartbreaking to see our little buddy experience it. He's been working SO hard, but needs a larger level of intervention than he's been receiving.

It's been all hands on deck from everyone on his care team, and after endless hours of meetings, consultations and evaluations over the past few weeks, Christina and Zach have a new plan in place for therapy, treatment, medication, and more.

While they don't know what the future holds, it feels like these next few months are a big inflection point for Elias's future. He's such an incredible kid, and he's working so hard to overcome the obstacles his brain is giving him—harder than any 7-year-old should ever have to work on themselves.

We are all hopeful that the treatment plan can make it significantly easier for him to be the weird, goofy, sweet, sports-and-pokemon-loving kid that we know is his true self.

The Vinsons' mindset has been (and will always be) to get Elias the absolute best care possible and trust that the money will work out one way or another. Between bills they've already received for May and the therapy sessions, appointments, and diagnostics that are coming in the next few months, it's clear: the expenses this year are daunting.

Over the years, they've had so many people ask how they can help. And often there aren't many ways to lift the ongoing weight of helping Elias navigate his world. But in this particular season of mounting bills, money is an obstacle.

There are a few unknowns that lie ahead, but as best as they can tell, out-of-pocket expenses for Elias's care from May through September 2024 will be somewhere between $18,000 and $23,000.

Those expenses include:

Behavioral therapy (ABA)

Ambulance/ER bills

2 brain scans

Genetic testing

Psychiatrist appointments

Neurofeedback therapy

Skilled childcare

Medications

Lab work

Pediatrician appointments

They'd like anyone reading this to know how grateful they are to have people in Elias's corner and sent the following note, as well as their deepest thanks.

Note from the Vinsons:

If you feel compelled to help us cover the costs for Elias's treatment, we truly appreciate it so much. If you’ve brought us a meal, sent money for takeout, texted, held us while we cry, prayed for us, or reached out to help, please know we couldn’t do it without you.

We have already been generously given $6,000 to help cover these expenses, and we'll find a way to cover as much of the rest as possible.

They say it takes a village. With a kid like Elias, it takes a whole universe sometimes, and we're so grateful for the countless people he's got on his side.

- Christina and Zach

Thank you for reading, and thank you for loving Elias, Christina, and Zach.