Micah and Kendall Sanderson Need Your Help

Hello, I want to share this story with you in the hopes that you can join me in helping two special people, my sister Kendall and her son Micah.

Short version:

For the past seven years, 13-year-old Micah has been dealing with a severe illness that an endless parade of doctors and specialists haven’t been able to diagnose and treat effectively. Micah is really sick, and he’s not getting better. Kendall is a single, working mother who’s been heavily burdened emotionally and financially due to the havoc the illness has wreaked on them and their living situation. They need real help - financially, medically, mentally, and tactically.

If you can help with a donation and spread the word, that would be genuinely appreciated. Read on for the whole story.

Full story:

My 13-year-old nephew Micah has a severe illness and, after 7+ long years, is still not healing. In that time, he’s been to 25+ doctors and specialists, each requiring an unending parade of appointments, referrals, lab tests, blood work, and treatments.

Micah’s disease seems to be a genetic illness that causes hypersensitivity to bacteria, mold, and environmental toxins. However, no doctor has been able to diagnose and treat it adequately. His latest diagnoses are CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome), Bartonella, and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), and he's being treated for these. But like the dozens of diagnoses and treatment regimens he’s endured before this, it will take up to 12 months before we know anything conclusive. For Micah and Kendall, it feels like Groundhog Day, with each new day presenting more ‘recommendations’ and worsening illnesses, but with no improvement.

Micah’s daily life consists of constant nausea, headaches, flu-like symptoms, debilitating stomach pain, and fatigue. His gastrointestinal system is so compromised he’s had to endure overnight stays in hospitals, painful treatments, and emergency room visits when the pain is too much to bear. All of which have amounted to zero in terms of a healthier kid.

He’s missed school for the past two years. Rare is the day that Micah feels well enough to play outside at all. And when he "pushes” himself, his body regresses, and he suffers terribly for the next week. His body’s failing him, and his mental health has also begun to be affected. His adrenal glands and limbic system are not functioning normally, creating extreme adverse reactions to even the most basic of life’s stressors.

Compound all this with a kid entering puberty, and you’ve got a serious problem.

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Now, a bit about Micah’s mom, Kendall. She is a superwoman. A single mom who has directly helped her community and neighbors more than most of us will ever attempt.

Peace Corps: She joined the Peace Corps after college to help with HIV prevention and education in a rural area of Kenya. Upon returning to the states, her activism continued, and she raised funds she funneled directly back to families in the Kenyan village where she lived. She was able to fully fund the installation and completion of a freshwater well that provided drinking water for the community. She also funded some of the village’s orphaned kids’ educations, one of which is now a doctor helping others.

Homeless Population: After Micah was born, she saw a need for the homeless in Melbourne, FL, to access healthy food options. She co-founded a community garden seven years ago that now yields hundreds of pounds of organic, fresh vegetables yearly for local food banks. The garden also serves as a community center where local teens and residents volunteer.

Environment: Kendall works as an environmental scientist and has dedicated her entire professional career to building sustainable, eco-friendly solutions for companies and the planet.

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Micah's illness increasingly seems to be related to a genetic dysfunction causing an inability to process biotoxins such as mold, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chemicals, bacteria, and environmental toxins. Common molds in 90% of houses, schools, and buildings are too toxic for Micah to live or be around. This has caused severe housing complications. Kendall and Micah have had to move multiple times. Each move attempts to find housing in which Micah can survive and heal. In a nutshell, Kendall is trying to create a home “bubble” for Micah to live in so that his body can heal while simultaneously treating the illnesses.

All of this comes with an untenable financial burden. Housing is expensive, and being sick is costly. Though they have insurance, there are hundreds of co-pays, lab tests, specialists like functional medical MDs, DOs, naturopaths, nutritionists, medicines and treatments that aren’t covered.

Kendall has always been cautious with her money and is employed with a good job. This significant curveball has been wrecking them emotionally, physically, mentally, and financially. The financial burden is overwhelming and has depleted her considerable savings.

They are in the process of yet another move, which is proving to be very expensive. This time, they have to get rid of almost everything they own, as they can’t risk contaminating the new house with dust spores attached to anything from the previous apartment. Here’s what they are spending money on this month:

-New home mold inspections ($8,000)

-State-of-the-art HVAC with new ductwork, and air purification ($32,000)

-Mold remediation for the new home ($50,000)

-Apartment rent while they wait for new home mold remediation ($4,000/month, up from $3200 now that they are month-to-month waiting on their new move-in date)

-Medical bills

-Basic furniture

-Care worker to assist with Micah (school, care, doc visits) while Kendall works

Family and friends have been helping considerably, but it’s become far too large to handle without some additional help.

I’m humbly asking you to donate any amount, share this story/spread the word.

-Tradd Sanderson