Please help my son that has FND!

Hello,

Please allow me first to tell you about my son Christian.

Christian was born July 6, 2005 and around age 4 was diagnosed with autism and adhd. Growing up he was a normal fun loving little boy who did face some challenges but he overcame each one. As a young boy he fell in love with hunting, fishing, and the outdoors having loved to go with his papa and uncle all the way up till he got sick. Since he was born he has always been in church. He has a very strong faith and loves his Lord and Savior dearly. In 2024 he felt the calling to become a pastor at the age of 19 and he answered that calling. He even preached a few sermons at a church in near Baxley, GA and then was called to Bluffton, GA to intern at Bluffton Baptist Church while at same time living on a ranch and assisting with work on the ranch. He loved this new chapter in his life and was even preparing for a mission trip to Africa and a few days before leaving for Africa his life would change forever.

On November 3, 2024 he started having very violent seizure episodes and would be transported by ambulance to Wayne Memorial Hospital in Jesup, GA and then later transferred to Memorial Medical University in Savannah, GA where he would stay a few days. After about 3 days he was released but when he returned home he started having seizures once again and would transported by ambulance to Wayne Memorial Hospital again but would be released that night. The seizure episodes would keep continuing and were getting worse and now he was passing out a lot so we made the decision to take him to Mayo ER in Jacksonville where a complete medical team saw him and we were told by a neurologist he had Functional Neurological Disorder. At this point he became a patient with Mayo but the seizure episodes would continue and now he was having paralysis in his legs. When he started having paralysis in the legs we took him back to Mayo ER and once again was told he has FND and the paralysis was part of the disorder. At this point he had to start using a wheelchair nearly all the time to get around but would have brief moments his feeling would return but then go away again. These episodes he has are hard on his body, and many times after he comes out of them, he doesn’t know where he is and has very slurred speech.

So the last two months, he has been in and out of the ER and is now being treated by Mayo Jacksonville. He was recently accepted into their therapy program that will last for 3 weeks with therapy being Monday-Friday and we are currently waiting for a spot to open for him in the program. This program will help teach him how to deal with episodes as well as try to retrain his brain and slow down his central nervous system. With the program being Monday-Friday it will require he and I to go down and stay in Jacksonville for nearly a month. With cost of treatment, lodging, and food this is going to be very expensive.

As everyone can imagine, the cost of the therapy program over 3 weeks as mentioned is very expensive even after insurance plus the cost of lodging and food. Then there is cost of additional trips to Jacksonville for appointments because he has a very long road ahead of him from what the doctors have told us at Mayo.

Now allow me to issue a plea from a father who loves his son dearly. Christian was so outgoing and had so many big plans that I know would come true for him to only have it taken away from him with this disorder he has. I will do absolutely anything to get him the treatment he needs and take him anywhere in the world just to see him better and able to do the things he once did without needing a wheelchair. In no way am I out begging for money but I am reaching out to our community that’s helped so many other's with a plea to please help anyway you can rather it be through prayer which is greatest thing you can offer or through donation in which no donation is to small.

So I ask please help anyway you can so we can afford to get him in this therapy program and to be able to afford to provide him everything he needs to get him better and even though there is no cure or medication for what he has hoping this program will get him back to where he can do some of the things he loves to do.

All donations will go to help with cost of the therapy program he needs along with helping with lodging and meals during the 3 weeks. Also it will go towards any future trips to Jacksonville for doctor appointments.

We know God has great plans for Christian, and as Christian always tells us, “God’s Got A Plan!” and I know one day he will have an awesome testimony.

#FND #FNDHOPE