HUNTER’S MEDICAL EXPENSES

HELP DOCTORS HELP HUNTER

Hi, I'm Sherri, better known as Hunter's mom. First I would like to ask that you keep my son, Hunter in your prayers. We lost his dad several years ago and he is my one and only; my angel here on earth who was robbed of his basic quality of life in 2019. He is a sweet, kind, thoughtful, respectful, funny, loving, caring, giving young man,  and the absolute joy of my life! He urgently needs heart and spinal surgery and further help getting to a specialty clinic for diagnosis and treatment. He is in very poor health and has been since May 2nd, 2019 and is declining. On that day he suffered a catastrophic 'event' that completely changed his life and remains a medical mystery. There is just so much, I don't even know where to begin, so I'm just going to start here. He had what they first thought was a seizure and now believe was a stroke; but they don't know why. Since that 'event’, he has been in constant pain with regular headaches and a continuous state of vertigo that fluctuates from bad to worse, but never goes away. The vertigo alone causes extreme and endless nausea which makes it difficult, and at times impossible to eat, sleep, concentrate; or do any of the normal everyday things we all take for granted in our daily routines. And then there's the pain and headaches, which have just steadily gotten worse. He just turned 26 and weighs about 113 pounds. He cannot drive or work and had to withdraw from college. He is suffering from depression and anxiety from not knowing if he will ever get answers as to what is happening to him; wondering how bad it will get; and no longer being able to envision his future. We have been to countless doctors, of every kind, and this is what we know for certain so far...Hunter has white matter disease on his brain and has suffered several micro/mini strokes, which they suspect are still happening. Neither are normal, especially at his young age. He has unilateral vestibulopathy which causes the dizziness, nausea, etc.; and a palsy in the torque muscles of his eyes, causing his vision to be slanted at all times. They have found a hole in his heart they suspect could be contributing to the white matter disease and strokes; and a defect in the lumbar/sacral area of his spine, causing severe pain and numbness/weakness, especially in his left leg and hip. Both of these findings require surgery, as soon as possible. If he does not have the spinal defect corrected he could lose all bladder and bowel control, requiring a catheter and colostomy; and he could even lose the use of his leg(s). However, this surgery would be life threatening if the heart defect is not corrected first. It is unclear at this time if any or all of these things are connected or what their causes are. His conditions have been labeled as rare and the doctors remain in the dark as to a clear diagnosis. Without a diagnosis, there is no real treatment and nothing has successfully helped with his symptoms thus far. His PCP is wonderful and has been diligently researching places and referred us to the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. They have a team of doctors that work closely together, with an emphasis on rare brain and neurological disorders. They are willing to take on Hunter’s case and aggressively look for a diagnosis, and ultimately a treatment plan, in hopes of not only stopping the progression but also drastically improving his quality of life. Life in general has become extremely challenging for Hunter but he has done incredibly well in dealing with his circumstances and maintaining a positive attitude, in spite of how horrible and sometimes hopeless he feels. He truly inspires me and I can’t express how proud I am of him. But it is devastating and heartbreaking and I am desperate to get answers and help my child. We are not sure what insurance will cover or how much we'll need, especially looking at two major surgeries, while still searching for answers. Because this is our of state, we don't know if insurance will even cover anything, and we will need to get to Dallas and initially stay for up to two weeks for testing, etc.; and we may have to go back for return visits, depending on what they find there, and scheduling. Hunter’s dad passed away several years ago and I simply do not have the finances to keep up with all of this on my own. But my child is suffering, so I have to ask...Please help with whatever you can; nothing is too small (even $5 adds up), and all will be greatly appreciated and so helpful. Thank you all so much and have a blessed day. As I'm sure you can imagine, Hunter is overwhelmed and scared, but he knows God is watching over him. So please keep Hunter in your thoughts and prayers.

For more information,  please feel free to contact me.