Ben Bah Medical Bills Fund

My son Ben is a funny, smart, energetic four-year-old. His hero is Curious George. He loves art, numbers, swinging, and playing in the sandbox for hours. He also has autism.

For the past 2 years, Ben has been receiving services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, and ABA behavioral therapy to help him improve his communication skills, social skills, and to cope with a number of sensory issues. He has made a lot of progress and our family is so thankful that he's had the opportunity to access the help that he needs.

Unfortunately, that help has also put our family deeply into debt. Taking Ben back and forth to therapies and appointments has severely limited my ability to work, as he is not yet old enough to attend school for a full day. Ben's father works two minimum-wage jobs and is able to cover our basic needs, but his income affords little extra. Thankfully, this year (2014) we were able to receive insurance that covers all of Ben's current needs. However, due to co-pays, limited coverage of services through private insurance plans, and a few months of no health insurance coverage at all in the recent past (and even after paying down the debts by $3,000), we still owe more than $7,000.

The stress and worry of raising a child with special needs is alleviated by the experience of loving and being loved by a unique and wonderful individual. The stress of debt has no such prospect. In addtion to wreaking havoc on our credit, these medical debts strain our relationships with one another and with the hospitals and agencies that continue to provide help to our son. We are hopeful, as Ben gets older and is able to attend a full-day school, that I can return to work and contribute to our family's income and future medical expenses. In the meantime, we don't want him to lose access to services that are essential to his continued improvement and quality of life because we are unable to pay these bills.

If you are inclined and able to help us with a small donation, it would be greatly appreciated. Any funds raised will go directly towards paying off current debts (not to funding future services for Ben), up to the goal amount. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Sincerely,

Kellee, Alimou, and Ben Bah