A Way Forward For Joseph

Dear friends, family, and neighbors,

Our son Joseph needs your help! Once a happy, carefree and loving boy, unbeknownst to us, he experienced emotional, physical and sexual abuse at the hands of someone who threatened our family’s safety if he reported what was happening. By the time Joseph was ready to come forward with the trauma he had endured he was starting to display signs of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Though he had been seeing a therapist since the onset of these symptoms he was just not ready to come to terms with what had happened to him. He was constantly fearful, had no sense of purpose and felt an overwhelming sense of failure, dread and believed he was damaged beyond repair. This hopelessness led to him overdosing on prescription medication last April. He spent a week in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Riley Hospital and days went by before we knew if he would survive or what the residual affects would be from the incident.

Though he miraculously recovered physically, his mental health continued to deteriorate and throughout 2022 and he was hospitalized multiple times to a variety of inpatient programs – none of which helped in any substantive way. In December an answer to prayer was received when he was admitted to a residential program in Utah. This was the first place that truly met him where he was, helped him see who he could become, and he finally found hope for healing. For the first time in two years, he is forward looking and positive about a future.

Sadly, the insurance company has deemed that he no longer needs this level of care and are ending coverage beginning next week. Though his care team agrees he has made great progress, not a single person (including Joseph himself) believes he is ready to come home. In his own words, he is like a “baby learning to walk – and is only capable taking a few steps on his own.”

Thankfully there is a therapeutic boarding school with an immediate opening for Joseph. This program combines intensive therapy with experiential learning activities, schooling and can provide the tools he needs to recognize and regulate his emotions, deal with his past, control his actions and prepare for a future free from drugs and alcohol. Quite literally this program will save Joseph’s life!

The downside is the monthly cost for the program is about $16,000. Insurance may help mitigate a portion of the expense, but we must commit to 9 months to a year of tuition. We have truly maxed out all our resources, having had to spend close to $50,000 out of pocket in medical expenses last year alone! We have wiped out our savings and have gone into debt to get our son the care he needs.

But there is no number too high to save Joseph’s life and - make no mistake about it – he is in for the fight of his life!

We are humbly asking for your prayers, love, and support as well as any monetary donations to be used to offset his medical expenses, travel expenses for family sessions and other related costs. We are heartbroken to imagine the devastation of him having to come home too soon and losing all the progress gained and, God forbid, him making a successful attempt on his life, simply due to a lack of resources. Please know that no amount is too little, and every single donation makes a difference. Thank you for your support and generosity during this challenging time.

Kelly & Kyle