Justin Taylor's Medical Fund
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My name is Josh Taylor, and I have been blessed enough to go to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the last four years, where I will be graduating this spring to continue on to medical school. However, more important than my status as a college student and future surgeon is my role as a brother and son, the very role that brings me here today.
In the midst of being able to pursue my dreams, I have watched my brother go from being a straight-A student athlete to becoming largely bedridden for the better part of the last four years. My 17-year-old brother, Justin Taylor suffers from daily chronic migraines, a debilitating syndrome he has caught himself enwrapped in since December of 2011. As if the migraines were not enough to deal with, Justin was also diagnosed as a type one diabetic, like myself, on December 9th, 2013. The years of 24/7 nine-out-of ten throbbing pain has robbed Justin of his ability to pursue the things he loves such as playing football and basketball, hanging out with friends, and even attending school, as he has not been considered a full-time student since the 7th grade. It has also kept him from normal teenage activities I took for granted, such as obtaining his driver's license or attending High School dances and activities.
As such, he has been prescribed seemingly every prescription under the sun, undergone numerous Botox injections in an attempt to alleviate the constant pain, and has been forced to make multiple trips to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota in addition to his weekly UW-Madison visits to his specialists.
Unfortunately, all of this has been in vein, as my brother finds himself with his longest to date trip to the Mayo Clinic right around the corner. My mom and brother plan to travel to Rochester from January 18th until February 9th, where Justin will attend the Mayo Clinic Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Program. The Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Program serves as a type of last-ditch effort for many families, as although it has shown to be effective, it is often only turned to once doctors have completely exhausted possible medications because the program effectively teaches those suffering how to overcome their pain rather than truly eliminating the pain itself. Furthermore, the fact that the program does not necessarily eliminate the pain, but "only" greatly improves patient's standard of living and productivity causes many insurance companies to fail to authorize payment, leaving families stricken by years of relentless agony scrambling to obtain the full $43,160 it costs to simply attend the program, ignoring the cost of travel, lodging, and lost wages.
In the face of no medical insurance assistance we turned towards attempting to find assistance towards lodging and travel. We've reached out to various organizations who help with these circumstances and have contacted a list of lodging possibilities provided by the Mayo Clinic but unfortunately have been unable to find relief here as well. Unluckily, the guest homes and short-term housing lists given by the Mayo Clinic as well as outside charities such as the Ronald McDonald House exclude the Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Program due to the three-and-a-half week program being too much time to tie up to one family. Furthermore, MTM, a company which would possibly offer help with lodging would offer assistance if we lived over 200 miles away from Mayo Clinic, but we fall just short at only 173 miles.
Confronted by so many shortcomings caused by slight discrepancies between Justin's situation and organizational policies at seemingly every step, causing our family to be refused assistance by insurance companies as well as numerous charitable organizations, our family is left to face $50,000+ of debt in order to attempt to restore normality to Justin's life.
My mother, Constance Taylor, and I have set the fundraising goal at $50,000 to attempt to cover the cost of the program and lodging, but every dollar will help our family in the months to come. We thank you for taking the time to read this GoFundMe campaign and send our deepest gratitude to all who contribute or simply share this story onwards through social media. We hope to add information about Justin's hopeful improvement in the weeks to come.
In the midst of being able to pursue my dreams, I have watched my brother go from being a straight-A student athlete to becoming largely bedridden for the better part of the last four years. My 17-year-old brother, Justin Taylor suffers from daily chronic migraines, a debilitating syndrome he has caught himself enwrapped in since December of 2011. As if the migraines were not enough to deal with, Justin was also diagnosed as a type one diabetic, like myself, on December 9th, 2013. The years of 24/7 nine-out-of ten throbbing pain has robbed Justin of his ability to pursue the things he loves such as playing football and basketball, hanging out with friends, and even attending school, as he has not been considered a full-time student since the 7th grade. It has also kept him from normal teenage activities I took for granted, such as obtaining his driver's license or attending High School dances and activities.
As such, he has been prescribed seemingly every prescription under the sun, undergone numerous Botox injections in an attempt to alleviate the constant pain, and has been forced to make multiple trips to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota in addition to his weekly UW-Madison visits to his specialists.
Unfortunately, all of this has been in vein, as my brother finds himself with his longest to date trip to the Mayo Clinic right around the corner. My mom and brother plan to travel to Rochester from January 18th until February 9th, where Justin will attend the Mayo Clinic Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Program. The Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Program serves as a type of last-ditch effort for many families, as although it has shown to be effective, it is often only turned to once doctors have completely exhausted possible medications because the program effectively teaches those suffering how to overcome their pain rather than truly eliminating the pain itself. Furthermore, the fact that the program does not necessarily eliminate the pain, but "only" greatly improves patient's standard of living and productivity causes many insurance companies to fail to authorize payment, leaving families stricken by years of relentless agony scrambling to obtain the full $43,160 it costs to simply attend the program, ignoring the cost of travel, lodging, and lost wages.
In the face of no medical insurance assistance we turned towards attempting to find assistance towards lodging and travel. We've reached out to various organizations who help with these circumstances and have contacted a list of lodging possibilities provided by the Mayo Clinic but unfortunately have been unable to find relief here as well. Unluckily, the guest homes and short-term housing lists given by the Mayo Clinic as well as outside charities such as the Ronald McDonald House exclude the Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Program due to the three-and-a-half week program being too much time to tie up to one family. Furthermore, MTM, a company which would possibly offer help with lodging would offer assistance if we lived over 200 miles away from Mayo Clinic, but we fall just short at only 173 miles.
Confronted by so many shortcomings caused by slight discrepancies between Justin's situation and organizational policies at seemingly every step, causing our family to be refused assistance by insurance companies as well as numerous charitable organizations, our family is left to face $50,000+ of debt in order to attempt to restore normality to Justin's life.
My mother, Constance Taylor, and I have set the fundraising goal at $50,000 to attempt to cover the cost of the program and lodging, but every dollar will help our family in the months to come. We thank you for taking the time to read this GoFundMe campaign and send our deepest gratitude to all who contribute or simply share this story onwards through social media. We hope to add information about Justin's hopeful improvement in the weeks to come.
Organizer and beneficiary
Josh Taylor
Organizer
Plain, WI
Constance Taylor
Beneficiary