Josh needs medical care!

Many of my friends have had the pleasure of meeting my nephew, Joshua Morales. His quick wit, and cheerful disposition make it almost impossible to realize he is ill in any capacity. The only thing that gives it away is his fresh wheelchair that's fully equipped with light up wheels and a sweet cup holder. Joshua was born a healthy baby, but just before his second birthday a small fall from a coffee table (which would have had no effect on a regular child) left him unable to move. When the paramedics arrived they believed his body was just in shock, and told my sister he would be fine by the next day. Twenty four hours passed and Josh was still immobile. My sister and his father brought him to the hospital, and he fell into a coma upon arrival. He woke up six days later paralyzed from the neck down. He was diagnosed with transverse myelitis-a rare neurological disorder that affects the spinal chord. As Josh got older his health continued to deteriorate. He developed type 1 diabetes at 4, was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease at 6, developed chronic seizures at 9, and was formally diagnosed with Kearns-Sayre syndrome at 10. The combination of these aggressive disorders and diseases have drastically affected Josh's life expectancy, and are incredibly difficult for both him and his family to deal with, but Josh has pushed through with grace, determination, and an infectious smile. A beacon of hope for Josh's quality of life has been his annual month long trip to the Kennedy Krieger institute and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore for intensive rehab. Josh has regained almost full mobility of his upper body thanks to these visits, and he has made many friends in similar conditions that he loves to visit. Every year my sister has had either a large portion or all of her in-patient stay covered by insurance. This year josh was denied in-patient treatment only nine days before he is scheduled to go on his trip, and also lost his supplemental Medicaid coverage. When my sister asked why he was denied her insurance stated that his ineligibility was due to him being chronically terminal. Essentially this means that because he is going to die soon his quality of life doesn't really matter. My sister was able to argue with her insurance company to cover part of his out-patient treatment, but she is left to cover the remainder of his treatment, as well as the cost of food, accommodations, travel to and from her hotel several times a day, and a daily $35 copay for five weeks. She has used up her entire savings to foot a portion of the bill, but still needs assistance. Any amount of help would be greatly appreciated by Joshua and our family. You have no idea how much of a difference these trips make for Josh's health and happiness. Thank you.