Mental Health Matters - #ShineOnIsaiah

Ongoing needs include support with household expenses and repairs and activities and incentives for Isaiah.

9/9/23

If you've been watching my Facebook, you'll know that we've hit another really rough patch in this process. For the past few months, Isaiah's behaviors have increased. This has led to more ER visits, and ultimately, an inpatient psychiatric hospitalization currently about 3 hours away from home. He was supposed to be starting 7th grade. My hope and prayer is that we're able to find the right combination of medication and supports for him to help him feel better and thrive. He's so smart and so sweet and I'm just looking forward to him being him again.

We are back at GoFundMe because our income is very low to begin with, and it has been difficult to sustain up to this point. I've maxed out credit trying to manage on my own and it's catching up to me because things just aren't better yet. I haven't been able to work more, pull in more contracts or do gig work as frequently. If you have the financial space to help, we would appreciate it. My goal has always been to put Isaiah in front of specialists who can do a comprehensive assessment, but that takes thousands of dollars and I've never been able to reach that financial goal yet. If we could do that, I'd be so thankful. We also need to find housing that will allow us to provide all of the safety accommodations needed without restriction. Until then, we just need to be able to manage our day-to-day lives and any financial contributions would help with that. If you'd like to pay a bill directly rather than donating here, we can coordinate that. It could also be helpful to receive cards for places like Meijer, Walmart and Speedway for groceries and gas.

Alternatively, there are several items that I know Isaiah will need soon - fall clothes, sensory stuff, and behavior incentives, as well as some new types of household cleaning items to decrease suicide risks. I put together an Amazon Wish List of those items that would also be helpful. Amazon Wish List if you prefer to purchase something directly: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/75NNAV91T0OW?ref_=wl_share

Thank you for being here. Thank you for lifting us up. Thank you for sharing his story and decreasing the stigma around mental health. It is a lot to manage. It's heartbreaking to witness. Systems are broken and difficult and traumatic to navigate. But we are pressing on and doing what needs to be done. I can't wait to get my son home. I just got to see him in person after 9 days and gave him the biggest hug. I don't know when they'll allow another visit because it's a closed campus. We need a better way.

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From 2019:

I'm a single mother who only wants the best for my only son, Isaiah. My goal is to find a specialist (or specialists) who can properly diagnose and treatment plan Isaiah's complex, intense mental health needs without overmedicating him, and we are seeking financial support to secure psychiatric services outside of our hometown of Kalamazoo, if necessary. We also need financial support to maintain housing, transportation, and basic necessities because my income plus SSI isn't enough.

Isaiah, age 9, has autism, ADHD, and anxiety, and continues to struggle with intense irrational fears and paranoia. I have been working hard for the past year or so to help figure out exactly how to address his needs, and that included speaking with MLive about the struggle to get him an inpatient bed after he attempted suicide and expressed that he wanted to kill me . I also wrote a first-person essay detailing how hard it is to be the only person managing his every need daily and still not getting him all the help he needs. 

From a young age, Isaiah struggled with behavior challenges that made it difficult for him to build friendships, stay safe and follow directions. He was kicked out of several daycares. I stopped working full-time and began a consulting business for income - working on contracts part-time while juggling multiple therapy appointments for Isaiah and parenting sessions for myself. In the past couple of years, contracts have slowed down and I sought employment. Isaiah's continuing behavior challenges have made it difficult to maintain substantial income. I'm presently working 10 hours/week as a secretary.

We are at about a $1,000/month deficit for normal household expenses and I have no idea when I'll be able to work enough to earn that.

COVID has made life harder, and for some reason, I didn't qualify for unemployment benefits after the last week of June (thankfully the unemployment I did receive helped me catch up on things). Isaiah's birthday is in 2 months. He's got some additional support needs with the remote learning, including getting faster, more reliable internet than our current $15 plan and better eyeglasses. And holidays are coming up, which is something he really looks forward to. 

The goals for more comprehensive assessments have pretty much been put on the back burner because of coronavirus. I still hope to pick it back up. In the meantime, it's all about survival.

Estimates for a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation come in around $5,000 (going out of state to somewhere like Kennedy Krieger Institute or Amen Clinics ) . That wouldn't even factor in travel expenses. Most of the places I've researched and called would not be able to take his Medicaid and that's the only insurance coverage he has.

He has already had 1 inpatient hospitalization that didn't offer much help other than weaning him off of meds that weren't helping. My heart is breaking, so I'm hoping that by making this ask that someone will see this and help us make the right connections. 

Other ways to support:

Cash App: $nrobinson8

Venmo: nrobinson8

PayPal: PayPal.me/7Reads

U.S. Mail: PO Box 473, Oshtemo MI 49077

Have ideas or resources to share? Please reach out to me!

Thank you for any support you can offer! 

#ShineOnIsaiah