Team Max Hatch
Donation protected
Happy New Year, Team Max! We haven’t posted in a long time, but we wanted to thank you for all you've done over the past two years to help our favorite family, and we wanted to give you an update on how things are going.
And once again, we’re asking for your help, even though Beth is struggling with the reality that for the second time, she can’t do this alone. To quote Beth, “It’s so incredibly hard for me to need any help once again. This is harder than last time, and I have very mixed feelings. But I guess I need to accept that I don't really have another choice.”
We’ll start with the good news: Max is doing well enough to attend school regularly again. He’s there for about half of the school day, and his teachers and friends are thrilled that they once again get to see him almost every day.
He’s also back to bowling with Special Olympics, and in November he was part of a four-person team that won a gold medal at the Special Olympics Florida State Bowling Championships! Max’s Special Olympics family is just as thrilled to have him back as his school family is.
Beth is now working with the Naples Children & Education Foundation, Founders of the Naples Winter Wine Festival. It’s a rewarding job with a wonderful organization, and Beth and Max are both thankful that she has this opportunity.
But unfortunately, Max and Beth are still dealing with some significant issues. Even though Max is able to eat, the formula that he receives through the tube that was inserted almost two years ago is still his main source of nutrition. He needs to receive specialized formula through his tube for about 18 hours every day. Without it, he can’t maintain his weight, he gets extremely tired and weak, and then he has seizures.
Until a few months ago, Blue Cross was covering Max’s medications and formula, and Beth was able to cover basic living expenses and Max’s medical expenses.
But Blue Cross recently stopped covering the cost of the supplies that Max needs to stay on the road to recovery. Current monthly expenses for meds and formula run about $2300 per month – and that doesn’t include copayments and payments on balances for other medical accounts. So once again, financial stress is a huge part of every day.
Even though as an adoptee, Max is eligible for Medicaid, the specialists that he needs to monitor his complicated medical conditions do not accept Medicaid. Blue Cross is the only option. To try to cover the expenses, Beth has taken on side jobs in the evenings to help supplement her income whenever possible, but they’re barely keeping their heads above water, and there’s no safety net for them. She’s also continuing to appeal the insurance company’s decision to stop paying for Max’s life-sustaining medications and formula.
Max has been on a waiting list for treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota since June, and Beth is hoping to receive a call soon to take him there.
We’re asking for your help once again so that Max can continue to receive the supplements he so desperately needs, and to help with expenses associated with treatment at Mayo Clinic.
Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers, encouragement, and any amount of financial help you can give.
Background on Max and Beth:
If you know Max, you can't help smiling every time you think of him! He has a most inspiring story. Max first met his mom Beth when he started pre-kindergarten at the age of three, when she was his teacher in a special needs classroom.
When they two met, Max weighed 12 pounds and had suffered through severe neglect during the first three years of his life. But he has certainly never been neglected or abused since then! If you ask Beth about Max, she'll say "He's the best thing I ever brought home from school!"
Max, who has Crohn's disease, has been very sick this year, and has been in the hospital several times. Since Max requires care around the clock, Beth has not been able to work recently, and the medical expenses and general life expenses are mounting.
We started this campaign to help them get through and enjoy Christmas in 2014, but they're nowhere close to the end of this difficult chapter. Please help by making a donation if you can.
For those who have contributed, we just can't thank you enough!
And once again, we’re asking for your help, even though Beth is struggling with the reality that for the second time, she can’t do this alone. To quote Beth, “It’s so incredibly hard for me to need any help once again. This is harder than last time, and I have very mixed feelings. But I guess I need to accept that I don't really have another choice.”
We’ll start with the good news: Max is doing well enough to attend school regularly again. He’s there for about half of the school day, and his teachers and friends are thrilled that they once again get to see him almost every day.
He’s also back to bowling with Special Olympics, and in November he was part of a four-person team that won a gold medal at the Special Olympics Florida State Bowling Championships! Max’s Special Olympics family is just as thrilled to have him back as his school family is.
Beth is now working with the Naples Children & Education Foundation, Founders of the Naples Winter Wine Festival. It’s a rewarding job with a wonderful organization, and Beth and Max are both thankful that she has this opportunity.
But unfortunately, Max and Beth are still dealing with some significant issues. Even though Max is able to eat, the formula that he receives through the tube that was inserted almost two years ago is still his main source of nutrition. He needs to receive specialized formula through his tube for about 18 hours every day. Without it, he can’t maintain his weight, he gets extremely tired and weak, and then he has seizures.
Until a few months ago, Blue Cross was covering Max’s medications and formula, and Beth was able to cover basic living expenses and Max’s medical expenses.
But Blue Cross recently stopped covering the cost of the supplies that Max needs to stay on the road to recovery. Current monthly expenses for meds and formula run about $2300 per month – and that doesn’t include copayments and payments on balances for other medical accounts. So once again, financial stress is a huge part of every day.
Even though as an adoptee, Max is eligible for Medicaid, the specialists that he needs to monitor his complicated medical conditions do not accept Medicaid. Blue Cross is the only option. To try to cover the expenses, Beth has taken on side jobs in the evenings to help supplement her income whenever possible, but they’re barely keeping their heads above water, and there’s no safety net for them. She’s also continuing to appeal the insurance company’s decision to stop paying for Max’s life-sustaining medications and formula.
Max has been on a waiting list for treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota since June, and Beth is hoping to receive a call soon to take him there.
We’re asking for your help once again so that Max can continue to receive the supplements he so desperately needs, and to help with expenses associated with treatment at Mayo Clinic.
Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers, encouragement, and any amount of financial help you can give.
Background on Max and Beth:
If you know Max, you can't help smiling every time you think of him! He has a most inspiring story. Max first met his mom Beth when he started pre-kindergarten at the age of three, when she was his teacher in a special needs classroom.
When they two met, Max weighed 12 pounds and had suffered through severe neglect during the first three years of his life. But he has certainly never been neglected or abused since then! If you ask Beth about Max, she'll say "He's the best thing I ever brought home from school!"
Max, who has Crohn's disease, has been very sick this year, and has been in the hospital several times. Since Max requires care around the clock, Beth has not been able to work recently, and the medical expenses and general life expenses are mounting.
We started this campaign to help them get through and enjoy Christmas in 2014, but they're nowhere close to the end of this difficult chapter. Please help by making a donation if you can.
For those who have contributed, we just can't thank you enough!
Organizer
Becky Newell
Organizer
Naples, FL
