Help for Max

Maxwell made his way into this world 6 weeks early. After a very difficult pregnancy for mom and baby everyone hoped that things would go well during his hospital stay. As with most preemies he was immediately sent to a hospital with a NICU while his mom Lisa was sent to the maternity ward. He seemed to do well making steady gains.

Unfortunately it seemed like Max just could not settle down. He was constantly crying, having difficulty eating and barely sleeping.He was referred to a GI doc in hopes of helping him with a diagnosis. He was immediately started on meds and Neocate formula. After several weeks with little improvement it was discovered that Max had a gastric volvulus (twisted stomach). His wonderful doctors were able to correct the problem and help Max on the road to recovery. A few weeks later it was noticed that he was not turning to the left and had a severe flat spot on his head. Through Max's pediatrician and early intervention he was diagnosed with torticollis and plagiocephaly.

Again with the help of many great therapists, Max was fitted with a Boston Band with the hopes of improving both conditions over several months.

While Lisa & John are thrilled that their son has been given every opportunity to get better it has clearly caused significant hardships for them financially. Lisa lost several weeks of pay due to Max's early birth. Medical bills continue to come in from both Lisa's maternity stay and Max's NICU stay.  The insurance plan year started again in September which meant John and Lisa were again responsible for the high out of pocket costs for the surgery Max had in October.

To add to the situation Lisa ended up having emergency surgery for gallbladder disease in December thus adding to the mountain of medical bills they already had.

Insurance has not been paying for Max's formula because he doesn't carry a diagnosis of "inborn error of metabolism". Neocate is $155 for 4 cans and he drinks 3 per week. The insurance would also not cover his helmet because they don't cover prosthetics.

Like so many others who have been effected by this economy John was laid off at this job this week. With rising medical costs and looking at having to utilize COBRA, John and Lisa are trying to do what they can. Lisa is scheduled for surgery in May and now may need to wait.

They want to thank anyone who feels comfortable donating to help them cover medical bills and health costs.