My name is Erika, and I’m the mother of a brave, resilient, and deeply loved 10-year-old boy named Burke. Burke is nonspeaking, has high-support-needs Autism, and was diagnosed with very early onset, treatment-resistant Crohn’s Disease when he was just seven years old.

For the past three years, our lives have revolved around trying to keep Burke nourished, safe, and out of constant pain. Because he cannot take oral medications, his options are limited to injections and infusions—making it even harder to find therapies that work for him. We have tried medication after medication, each time hoping that this one would finally give him relief. But flare after flare, hospital stay after hospital stay, we watched our sweet boy continue to suffer.

Then, for the first time, we found hope. Stelara changed everything. With Stelara, Burke went into remission for six beautiful months. He gained weight. He grew. His energy came back. He could attend school more consistently. For the first time in years, he was able to simply be a kid. We finally felt like we were getting our son back.

But that progress came to a sudden halt.

Our insurance decided it would no longer cover Stelara and required us to switch to a biosimilar called Yesintek—assuring us it would work the same way. It didn’t. The moment Burke was taken off Stelara, he spiraled into a severe flare that nothing—not increased dosing, not more frequent injections—could control. Over the next few months, he lost nearly 20 pounds, became dangerously anemic, and was hospitalized repeatedly for IV steroids just to stabilize him.

After months of fighting, our insurance agreed to cover the monthly Stelara injections again. But they still refuse to cover the critical initial IV loading dose—the part of the treatment that “jump starts” remission and allows the injections to work. Without it, the maintenance injections are not enough for Burke’s complex, aggressive disease.

We finally have a treatment that we know works. The only barrier between Burke and a chance at health is this one essential infusion.

We have reached the end of the appeal processes with our insurance. Our doctor has done everything she could to fight for our son. We are turning to our community, friends, and compassionate strangers for help. The cost of this IV dose is far beyond what our family can manage alone. Every donation, no matter the size, brings us closer to giving Burke the chance to grow, to thrive, and to experience life without constant pain.

Thank you for reading Burke’s story, for sharing it, and for caring about a little boy who just wants to feel well enough to be himself again. Your support means more to us than words can say.

With Hope and Love,

Erika, Burke Sr. And Burke Jr