Izaiah's Battle with JPS: Your Help Matters

Story

Hello, I'm Becky Andal and I'm setting up a GoFundMe for our 4-year-old grandson, Izaiah Van Maasdam. Izaiah suffers from a rare disorder called Juvenile Polyposis Syndrome (JPS). It is a rare, precancerous genetic condition that causes multiple noncancerous polyps to develop in the gastrointestinal tract. These polyps, similar to small cherries on stalks, can grow in the stomach, colon, and rectum. While most are noncancerous, they can become cancerous if left untreated. Izaiah has an increased risk of developing colorectal and gastric cancer. At this point, he has had 3 colonoscopies and 1 endoscopy. During these procedures, the doctor has removed 7 polyps. Twice, the polyps were so large they blocked his colon and were preventing stools from moving. While Izaiah has many good days, there are days when his stomach hurts most of the day. During these times, he is quiet and wants to be held and have his tummy rubbed. He takes Pepcid and Tums, but there is not much more that can be done. His parents, Hannah and Stewart, are overwhelmed with the bills coming in from the procedures and checkups. Insurance is paying a portion of the bills, but they are left with 30 to 40 percent of every procedure and visit. Along with this, insurance is now refusing to pay for genetic testing that was done to determine what kind of JPS Izaiah has so they could render the best treatments. Between them, they have missed a lot of work for Izaiah not feeling well and colon preps for the colonoscopies. They did apply for SSI but were denied as they are both employed full-time. Izaiah will continue to need medical care throughout his life. Any donation made will go directly to Izaiah's medical bills. If there are any funds left, it will be placed in savings for further medical care. We, as Izaiah's family, appreciate and thank you for your help.