Medical Help for Andrew Leininger
My dear friend Andrew Leininger is in need. He is an amazing person, always putting others first. He is a Lifeskills teacher for the Special Education department at Hedrick Middle School in Lewisville ISD. He also serves as the Student Council sponsor for his school. Andrew loves Jesus, the Philadelphia Eagles, and serving his students. Here is his story. Please consider helping out this incredible man.
When Andrew was 8 years old, he had an accident involving a nail that pierced his right eye, tearing the cornea from side to side. After several surgeries, including a new procedure to try and reattach the retina, Andrew lost sight in the eye. A prosthesis was made and he learned to adapt to life with just sight in one eye. When he graduated from college, he began having problems with pain. It was determined the eye was shrinking and causing severe pain, called “a dead eye”. The eye was removed and another prosthesis was made. Since that time, medical bills have been mounting. Because the prosthesis was a “cosmetic” option, it was not covered by insurance. Several thousands of dollars in debt, Andrew continued to work and try to pay off his medical bills. Eventually, the pain returned and was virtually non-stop, 24 hours a day. Another surgery was performed and more debt was incurred. This time, he moved out of his apartment, unable to keep up with the medical bills and expenditures of living on his own. The pain returned again, and it was necessary to have another surgery; the original doctor that made the prosthesis retired and the replacement doctor refused to make another prosthesis saying that "all was good." All this time, the pain was so bad that Andrew was unable to eat or sleep. He was constantly depressed, keeping much of this to himself, but he continued to teach his students.
After researching doctors who specialized in making prosthesis, in March of last year, he found an amazing doctor in Los Angeles, California. The cost was very expensive, over $15,000 to have a new one made, and insurance would not cover it. With the help of his parents and friends, he made the trip to California to have the procedure of removing several blisters and cysts from the eye socket and have a new prosthesis made. Since that time, he has had no pain, the eye looks amazing – exactly like the other natural eye. The problem Andrew is facing now is the debt he has incurred, all in his quest to be pain-free. Because the procedures are deemed cosmetic, insurance will not pay. Over the years, the debt has been accumulating and to date he is over $45,000 in debt. He still has to return to California for follow up treatments in August, December and April of this year and next. But the absence of pain in his life, has allowed him to return to the person he is, happy and free of pain. 
