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Jovan's Medical Rehab Expenses

Hello everyone, you may or may not know that on August 4, 2017, Jovan “HorrorKane” Bowden was stricken with a very serious virus that affected the right side of his brain. Surviving 27 days in a coma, numerous test, antibiotics, steroid medications, blood test, chemotherapy, CT and MRI scans known to mankind, administered by a team of doctors at Methodist Southlake, Indiana University Health Hospital and The Mayo Clinic, it was determined the closest diagnoses for his condition is Limbic Autoimmune Encephalitis. It is unclear exactly how he contacted the virus, living alone at the time and unable to speak.  He was first diagnosed by an emergency room doctor in Lafayette, Indiana, as suffering with Bell’s palsy. As his symptoms progressively grew worse over a 1 week period, he was hospitalized in Merrillville, Indiana and within a week he fell into a coma and air lifted to the Indiana University Health Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, as shown in the attached photo.            

During the month of November and December, he was transferred to the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana in Indianapolis. At this acute rehabilitation facility, an extensive therapy regime was established for his needs, but because his State of Indiana insurance did not see instant progress, they refused to continue his stay and treatment. 

Since the virus affected the right side of the brain, the entire left side of his body has no movement, and he is unable to sit, eat, drink, walk or talk.  Over the Christmas holiday, he was transferred back home to a small rehab facility in Northwest Indiana. In the past few months with God's help and prayer from friends and family he has shown some cognitive improvement, very small steps - finally off the ventilator but still unable to speak, but those big brown eyes of his can tell us alot.

What “Von” will need in the coming months/years will be intense physical therapy, speech therapy, counseling, adaptive equipment training, occupational therapy, and recreational therapy. He has to re-learn everything from walking, talking, to swallowing and eating. He is getting nutrition through a feeding tube. Being his mother, I am confident he will regain some of his abilities, but he needs what intense therapy will give him. This type of therapy is only available either downstate (Indianapolis) or in Chicago, Illinois. In Chicago there is a remarkable facility available, the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Rehabilitation Center which is a 30 minute drive for us, his parents, and we will be able to transport him for daily therapy, but his Indiana Medicaid Insurance will not pay for out-of-state facilities. The rehabilitation program in Indiana is the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana, which is a 2 hour drive one-way south of where we live. We would incur travel and lodging expenses in addition to partial payments towards therapy.

With the staggering cost of Physical Therapy, if we are able to reach our goal with this campaign, we will be able to enroll him and pay for the outpatient therapy program in Chicago, where his doctor says he will benefit from the intense therapy they will provide. The sooner, the better to also prevent rigidity of his limbs.

Please consider donating to Jovan so he can gain back his ability to perform everyday tasks we take for granted. Constant in prayer for his recovery......

Janice Bowden, Mother
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Donations 

  • CATHY Crossley MARLER
    • $100 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer

Jovan HorrorKane Bowden
Organizer
Merrillville, IN

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