Hello,

I am writing on behalf of my friends Charla and Luke. Luke is a 14-year-old boy who has been diagnosed with a life-threatening condition that is treatable but is going to require a lot of medical help as well as therapy to get him through. His mom, Charla, is a self-employed woman with a heart of gold, she is a great mom and will do whatever it takes to help her son. Luke’s comprehensive, multidisciplinary treatments and therapy expenses are going to far exceed their medical coverage. She is learning how to care for him and participate in his care 24x7, which will be required for at least a year. It is not going to be easy, his medication and the gas to get him back and forth to the treatment center and doctors’ appointments, which are seven days- a -week for the foreseeable future, is an additional $200 a week or more. The out-of-network fees for specialists are between $300-$500 a month. It has been recommended that he have a thorough assessment by a leading specialist who is out-of-network, which alone will cost $2500.

Luke is a great kid, smart and funny, and one of the most caring people you’ll ever meet. He is what I would call a true empath, he walks into a room and can feel everything everyone else is feeling and takes on the burden of caring for them all. He comes by this naturally, his mom, Charla, is so kind and her work is a true testament to the kind of care she brings to all she knows as well. She will give the shirt off her own back to help someone in need. She never thought she might be the one in need. To provide for Luke’s condition, she will have to take an indefinite leave from the work she loves so much which means an immediate financial strain and an uncertain future. Although that is a scary step to take, for Charla, the priority is on seeing her son healthy and safe with proper treatment.

I’m asking for help for this beautiful family as they do everything they can to get through this difficult time. Her community of friends and those who love the two of them will help, of course, but we can only do so much. We are hoping to raise $50,000 to help Charla and Luke in the fight for his life. This will help with some of the expenses of the assessments, travel to and from the clinics and appointments, and therapy to make it possible for Charla to provide the intensive level of care Luke needs at this time in his life. Please help us support this little family and bring them to a place where they can thrive again.