Joshua's Medical Fund
Donation protected
Dear friends and family,
As many of you know, our 16-year old son, Joshua, has been battling undiagnosable illness and debilitating neuropathy since March 2013. Literally, overnight, on March 4th of 2013, Joshua went from being a healthy, active 13-year old, who was an honors student, tennis player, and weekly drummer for the Sunday morning praise band with his dad and brothers to a young man who slept 16 hours a day with debilitating pain and mysterious neurological complications. For almost three years we have seen numerous specialists, only to be told repeatedly that "there is no medical explanation for what's wrong with your son." In the Fall of 2014 Joshua was recommended for heart surgery due to tachychardia that caused his heart to jump from 70 beats per minute to 210 beats per minute without any acceleration in between. Convinced that the heart arrhythmia was yet another symptom of an undiagnosed illness, we declined the heart surgery and continued our search for answers. During the summer of 2015, Joshua began having more severe neurological problems with walking and motor skills. A chiropractor told us that he believed a brain infection was the root of the problem. We booked an appointment with the Head of Infectious Disease at Children's Hospital. Finally in November of 2015, the Infectious Disease doctor noticed evidence of a brain infection that had been overlooked in an MRI from 2013. He immediately ordered new MRI's, which confirmed further evidence of a suspected brain infection. Various medical treatments were attempted, but with each treatment, Joshua's health deteriorated more. Within days of beginning each treatment, he was confined to a wheelchair, entirely unable to walk. Pressure inside his brain would get so severe that he would begin vomiting, experience electrical shocking sensations all over his body, and become unable to speak. All doctors involved were completely perplexed and had no direction of how to help our son.
Through much prayer and searching, both locally and nationally, we learned of Dr. Sponaugle, a highly successful brain specialist in Florida, who has been pioneering research and treating difficult infections like Joshua's through integrative medicine. After contacting the Sponaugle Wellness Institute, we were connected with other parents whose children had been successfully treated by Dr. Sponaugle for the same type of illnesses with similar debilitating symptoms. We heard stories of hope and healing; patients from over 25 countries around the world were experiencing medical miracles with the integrative treatments designed and administered by Dr. Sponaugle and his team in Florida. We immediately booked our appointment and eagerly awaited our meeting with the doctor. The week of January 11th, 2016, we finally met with Dr. Sponaugle, who is brilliant, passionate, and kind. He reviewed Joshua's labs with us and confirmed and identified numerous bacterial brain infections that are responsible for his deteriorating neurological function and explained other biochemical factors affecting his total compromised immune response.
For three years Joshua has suffered daily with this untreated illness, but he is a believer, a fighter, an overcomer, and has refused to give up hope. Even from his wheelchair, his cheerful heart and witty personality encourage and inspire others to keep believing that better days are ahead. For years, as parents, we have held on to hope that we would find the answer to Joshua's health crisis. And now, we believe with all our hearts that God has provided the answer. Dr. Sponaugle's treatments are very comprehensive and successful, however, due to his integrative medical approach, health insurance does not cover most of the charges. All treatments must be paid out-of-pocket on a weekly basis. Children with similar infection loads and complex neurological issues like Joshua's typically require treatments of 6 months or longer. At first, this news was overwhelming, and our hope was shaken. But then God reminded us of what a big God He is, and how He created His family, worldwide, to care for one another. We believe that as we share our story, God is going to create joyful giving in the hearts of His people. We have set up a "gofundme" account to allow for internet donations that will be transferred weekly to fund Joshua's medical expenses. If your heart is moved, we humbly invite you to be a part of Joshua's miracle and testimony.
Donations given through GoFundMe are not tax deductible. All monies will be used to pay for Joshua's medical expenses, which average $4,000 per week. Without treatment, our son would continue to deteriorate and suffer from these untreated brain infections. Please help as you feel led. Thank you so very much for taking the time to read and share our story. We are so thankful for your prayers and financial support.
With much gratitutde,
Doug and Robin Smith
As many of you know, our 16-year old son, Joshua, has been battling undiagnosable illness and debilitating neuropathy since March 2013. Literally, overnight, on March 4th of 2013, Joshua went from being a healthy, active 13-year old, who was an honors student, tennis player, and weekly drummer for the Sunday morning praise band with his dad and brothers to a young man who slept 16 hours a day with debilitating pain and mysterious neurological complications. For almost three years we have seen numerous specialists, only to be told repeatedly that "there is no medical explanation for what's wrong with your son." In the Fall of 2014 Joshua was recommended for heart surgery due to tachychardia that caused his heart to jump from 70 beats per minute to 210 beats per minute without any acceleration in between. Convinced that the heart arrhythmia was yet another symptom of an undiagnosed illness, we declined the heart surgery and continued our search for answers. During the summer of 2015, Joshua began having more severe neurological problems with walking and motor skills. A chiropractor told us that he believed a brain infection was the root of the problem. We booked an appointment with the Head of Infectious Disease at Children's Hospital. Finally in November of 2015, the Infectious Disease doctor noticed evidence of a brain infection that had been overlooked in an MRI from 2013. He immediately ordered new MRI's, which confirmed further evidence of a suspected brain infection. Various medical treatments were attempted, but with each treatment, Joshua's health deteriorated more. Within days of beginning each treatment, he was confined to a wheelchair, entirely unable to walk. Pressure inside his brain would get so severe that he would begin vomiting, experience electrical shocking sensations all over his body, and become unable to speak. All doctors involved were completely perplexed and had no direction of how to help our son.
Through much prayer and searching, both locally and nationally, we learned of Dr. Sponaugle, a highly successful brain specialist in Florida, who has been pioneering research and treating difficult infections like Joshua's through integrative medicine. After contacting the Sponaugle Wellness Institute, we were connected with other parents whose children had been successfully treated by Dr. Sponaugle for the same type of illnesses with similar debilitating symptoms. We heard stories of hope and healing; patients from over 25 countries around the world were experiencing medical miracles with the integrative treatments designed and administered by Dr. Sponaugle and his team in Florida. We immediately booked our appointment and eagerly awaited our meeting with the doctor. The week of January 11th, 2016, we finally met with Dr. Sponaugle, who is brilliant, passionate, and kind. He reviewed Joshua's labs with us and confirmed and identified numerous bacterial brain infections that are responsible for his deteriorating neurological function and explained other biochemical factors affecting his total compromised immune response.
For three years Joshua has suffered daily with this untreated illness, but he is a believer, a fighter, an overcomer, and has refused to give up hope. Even from his wheelchair, his cheerful heart and witty personality encourage and inspire others to keep believing that better days are ahead. For years, as parents, we have held on to hope that we would find the answer to Joshua's health crisis. And now, we believe with all our hearts that God has provided the answer. Dr. Sponaugle's treatments are very comprehensive and successful, however, due to his integrative medical approach, health insurance does not cover most of the charges. All treatments must be paid out-of-pocket on a weekly basis. Children with similar infection loads and complex neurological issues like Joshua's typically require treatments of 6 months or longer. At first, this news was overwhelming, and our hope was shaken. But then God reminded us of what a big God He is, and how He created His family, worldwide, to care for one another. We believe that as we share our story, God is going to create joyful giving in the hearts of His people. We have set up a "gofundme" account to allow for internet donations that will be transferred weekly to fund Joshua's medical expenses. If your heart is moved, we humbly invite you to be a part of Joshua's miracle and testimony.
Donations given through GoFundMe are not tax deductible. All monies will be used to pay for Joshua's medical expenses, which average $4,000 per week. Without treatment, our son would continue to deteriorate and suffer from these untreated brain infections. Please help as you feel led. Thank you so very much for taking the time to read and share our story. We are so thankful for your prayers and financial support.
With much gratitutde,
Doug and Robin Smith
Organizer
Robin Dixon Smith
Organizer
Sevierville, TN
