Chloe’s Scoliosis Fundraiser

I am putting together this fundraiser for a family and their daughter who I love dearly! Alicia is my coworker at Fitness 2000, and she just received devastating news that her daughter, Chloe (age 12), has a very severe case of scoliosis, causing her spine to curve in the shape of an S, requiring immediate intervention to try and reverse the very serious issues and impact this will have on Chloe’s life.

 

Alicia is one in a million, and one of the very best people I know. When I heard this news, I was devastated for her, for Chloe and her family. I hope that through this channel of communication and by reaching those with a heart to contribute, that we are able to help ease some of the burden of expenses that this wonderful family are taking on so suddenly.

 

After careful thought, many long days and nights of research, phone calls with doctors and specialists, and prayer, the family has decided it best to take Chloe to a very specialized clinic in Florida that treats scoliosis through aggressive, short term therapy with plans and regimens in place after they leave that Chloe will use for the rest of her life. The alternative to therapy is very invasive, very risky surgery that has odds of a 1 in 1,000 chance Chloe could be left permanently paralyzed. To any parent, those odds are not worth the risk, and the surgery itself is not found to fix the problem and in many cases, make the scoliosis worse.

 

Because insurance only covers the surgery route and not any other avenue of rehabilitation, the family will be taking on full out of pocket expenses that are astronomic, that hardly any family could be prepared for.

 

Below, you will find further information on scoliosis, on the treatment plan and ways your contribution will assist the Beamon Family and Chloe’s rehabilitation.

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From Alicia:

 

Facts about scoliosis:

-In a nation of approximately 300 million people, scoliosis affects 13 million.

-The average scoliosis patient will suffer a 14 year reduction in life expectancy.

-There are NO scoliosis experts. If there were, there would be no patients.

-Each year, 20,000 rod implementations are performed on patients with scoliosis. 8,000 of the 20,000 are legally defined as permanently disabled after the surgery for the rest of their life. One in 1,000 are paralyzed!!!

-Surgery will not fix the problem. X-rays reveal after an average of 22 years, the scoliosis has returned, and the rods will be bent or broken. Surgery causes the patient to lose 25% reduction in their range of motion.

 

 

Our Hope:

-Nonsurgical treatment started early

-Aggressive treatment for a short time, followed by a regimen daily for the rest of her life.

-The lateral scoliotic curvature must be simultaneously treated and corrected along with the cervical and lumbar lordosis in the sagittal plane. Pelvic rotation, if present, must also be addressed. These results are achieved with a combination of specific spinal adjustments done with instruments, specific rehabilitation procedures, including proprioceptive neuromuscular re-education, muscle and ligament rehab, and vibration therapy. The scoliotic spine compresses and rotates three-dimensionally; therefore, it must be de-rotated and decompressed in order to correct.

The doctors involved in this therapy will use, among other things, vibration platforms and a vibration scoliosis traction chair as well as specific bracing to pull the Cobb angle back into proper alignment.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. How often does treatment take place?

- 8 days. The patient is generally treated 4-5 hours per day.

 

2. What can one expect at the end of Intensive Care?

- Patients respond differently and at different rates due to varying characteristics such as age, degree of scoliosis, loss of lateral neck and lower back curves (lordosis) etc. Most patients will see a reduction between 20-90% in this time period. Patients then return home with a specific ‘Home Protocol’ to continue their positive progress. If their scoliosis curve(s) are >30-35 degrees, we may recommend daily use at home of a ‘Scoliosis Treatment Chair’, along with specialized neuromuscular re-education exercises or the use of a specialized ‘overcorrection’ bracing system.

 

 

The Cost Currently:

- 12 days to attend the therapy (income loss from jobs for both Larry and Alicia): Approx $2,500

- Our stay: Approx $1,800

- Our travel expenses: Approx $600

- Cost of therapy: Approx $7,500

- Cost of the chair: Approx $4,500

​-Unknown costs: ??????

​-Total for now: Approx $18,000

 

****Insurance will not cover this treatment. They will ONLY help cover risky surgery that has been proven not to work.****

Thank you all for your consideration in helping us with this burden.  We ask for your prayers as well in this challenging time.

 With greatest thanks and gratitude,
Larry and Alicia Beamon