Help Samantha Walk & Run Again — Support Her Therapy Journey

We never imagined we’d be here- writing this. In April, our 16-year-old daughter Samantha took her migraine rescue medication while at a birthday dinner with friends. Within 10 minutes, she said she felt “funny.” Thirty minutes later, she lost consciousness and has not been able to walk independently since.

She spent three days in the hospital. Since then, we've been through countless tests and appointments. Eventually, Samantha was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) — a condition where the brain stops sending proper movement signals to the body. In a matter of minutes, she lost the ability to walk or even stand.

The good news is that FND is treatable, and we serve a God who heals. Right now God is healing Samantha through highly specialized physical and occupational therapy at Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando — one of the few places with the expertise Samantha needs. In just two weeks, Samantha has gone from relying on a wheelchair to walking with a walker. Her faith is unshaken, and she is determined to recover fully.

But our Florida Blue insurance won’t cover any more therapy. Despite meeting our deductible and submitting multiple appeals with letters from her doctors, coverage has been fully denied: They will cover exactly ZERO percent of her wildly successful therapy visits.

Each PT and OT session costs $424 — and that’s after negotiating a 60% discount and trimming the schedule to 1 PT and 1 OT visit per week. This still leaves us paying far more than we are able. With one session of each per week, that’s $848 weekly. The recommended plan runs through November 5, which means 23 weeks of therapy, totaling $19,504 out-of-pocket — all uncovered by insurance.

We truly regret having to ask for help, but we simply cannot afford nearly $900 a week for therapy on our own. This is not something we ever imagined needing to do, but Samantha’s recovery depends on it — and we are desperate to keep her moving forward.

This fundraiser is specifically to cover the cost of Samantha’s physical and occupational therapy sessions — the treatments that are truly giving her back the use of her life. While the hospital stay and numerous other multiplying medical bills are part of this journey, those are currently separate from her ongoing therapy, which must be paid for as the sessions are provided.

Samantha has always been a fighter. She’s an aerial gymnast, a spiritual leader among her friends and neighbors, and she’s planning to return to Uganda in 2026 with the Imani Milele Children’s Mission — just like she did in 2024.

Would you help us give Samantha the therapy she needs to walk again?

With hope and gratitude,

Her Parents, Seth and Christa Goldsmith

❤️

Pray. Give. Share. Walk with us.