Bobby Harris Medical Related Expenses

Bobby Harris is 1 of my 6 year old twin boys. A tumor was discovered in his head this past week (April 6th, 2013) that warranted immediate surgery. We will be facing surgical bills that saved his life and upwards of 9 months of radiation and chemotherapy treatments. We've maxed out our medical insurance before the surgery even took place. The tumor has spread down his spine and he will begin undergoing radiation and chemotherapy within weeks. The doctors didn't feel his vision would be corrected from the surgery and that he would have temporary or permanent side effects to his speech, and motor function. So, far his vision has corrected, and he is suffering no mental or physical side effects. He is our dear Little Bobby. The doctors and nurses here at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital are awesome. They have dubbed him Pirate Bob. He never meets a stranger even before and after this brain surgery.   As I add this portion it is now a year later.  It has been both a nightmare and a blessing.  Bobby has completed his radiation and chemotherapy treatments.  There are side effects.  Many I won't go into in case he reads this.  He was supposed to loose most if not all of his hearing.  At this time he still has about 80% of his hearing and the damage appears to have stopped.  He has some snazzy hot red hearing aids now.  We are hopeful that he will suffer no additional hearing loss but are prepared to meet that challenge if it comes.  He has spent that last 8 months rebuilding his body, learning to walk again.  He has had to learn to balance his body which affects his walking.  Now he can run again, ride a bike again.  In 2015 he will be able to swim again and be a boy.  He will continue to receive full body MRI's and LP's every quarter for the foreseable future.  Each of these cost about $20,000.00 each.   He has kept up with his school during the treatments and was able to continue on and "graduate" to the 2nd grade along with his brother.  We are now having to meet additional challenges head on as radiation in the brain of the type and scope he underwent affects both short and long term memory.  It also affects the speed of the brain to calculate.  Unfortunately with the economy hospitals and universties have had to cut programs that were designed to help with these areas and as a result we are literally reinventing the wheel trying to help him with new means to memorize his lessons and improve his thinking speeds.  You can imagine how a little boy or girl would feel realizing that things that he/she could do with ease and or speed are now slower or more difficult to do.  Please continue to keep Bobby in your prayers and thank you in advance for your kindness.  ~Dad