Help Everett with His Autism Journey

Update: We want to thank everyone for being so generous, we are beyond lucky. With all your support and suggestions, we are getting closer to securing the speech therapy Everett needs. We have discussed discounted rates with the facility and with your support, we are getting closer! This is amazing so we want to thank all of you for helping us get there!

 

Hello!

 

My name is Ellie, and my husband, Weston, and I are trying to raise funds for our son, Everett. Everett is a wonderful 3-year-old boy who loves all things dinosaurs! He was diagnosed with Autism a little over a year ago.

His services were covered by insurance in 2021 but some changes to the clinic and insurance will cost us thousands for him to continue this year. He currently attends speech and ABA therapy which have made an incredible impact on his life. They are allowing him to be his best self, and the idea that we can’t afford all his services this year is crushing. He is four and doesn’t deserve to have the system work against him and limit his progression. We have been setting money aside as much as possible, we both work full time and have been picking up jobs on the side. We found out insurance will only cover 25 speech visits which is not nearly enough. According to his doctors, he still needs over a year of speech therapy to match kids his age and be ready to start school. I have added up what the bill for just speech will be based on a bill we received recently and we will need $22,000 for him to get the cares he needs. This is only for speech and none of his other medical services. We have exhausted every outlet under the sun. We have been budgeting for his other services that cost thousands, not realizing this would be billed separately. We do not like to ask for help, but we have to swallow that pride for our son and give him the best shot at the life he deserves. Any help is much appreciated and will have a positive impact on the rest of his life.

Communication is a critical life skill. His disability makes this much harder for him, but he is putting in the time and the effort. We want him to get the help he needs to attend school, participate in sports, go to a friends house and obtain a job when he is old enough. These things will be very hard nearly impossible for him without a way to communicate with others. 

 

A little about Everett:

His diagnosis was not a surprise as we were told he may face some challenges due to his difficult entry into the world. Everett is a twin; he and his brother suffered with twin to twin transfusion. It is a horrible condition where nutrients aren’t shared equally with the babies due to the placenta. We did everything we could to save them both, but unfortunately, his brother didn’t make it and passed away before they were born. As a result, Everett was born 5 weeks premature and spent a couple of weeks in the NICU struggling with breathing episodes. However, our Everett is strong and made it through. He is growing daily, and we want to continue providing him with the care he needs! He is exactly who he is meant to be, and we wouldn’t change a thing about him! We love him to pieces and are so proud of everything he has accomplished.

 

In early 2021 we spent months battling insurance and different clinics, but it finally paid off. We got approval to start ABA therapy, and insurance would cover it for this past year. This has been LIFE CHANGING for him. So when we found out it wouldn't be covered in 2022 it was devastating! Everett suffered a complete regression around the age of 2 where all his verbal abilities were gone. It almost felt like it happened overnight. There were no accidents or brain injuries, just something that often happens with autistic children. It was devastating. Everything he new was gone and we tried so hard to get it back but couldn’t do it on our own. Everett has been attending therapy for about 9 months now. The progress he has made is mind blowing. He is working on stringing a couple words together and can identify some people, animals, and objects. Something we were told may never happen for him. He loves his dinosaurs and they use those every day at therapy to help him learn new concepts. Everett has a kind heart, and loves to laugh and snuggle. He loves his family and has a special bond with his grandpa. We all support him and are so proud of all the hard work he has put in. It hasn’t been easy for him but he shows up every day eager to learn and we can’t take that away from him.

 

Thank you for reading his story and supporting him in his journey!