In March 2021, Kevin was diagnosed with ALS. This is a devastating diagnosis for anyone, but especially cruel to Kevin because he had been an endurance athlete, a life-long outdoor enthusiast, and fiercely independent.

 

 

ALS affects everyone differently, and unfortunately, Kevin has a very aggressive form of the disease. It's mind boggling how quickly he has gone from completely independent to completely dependent on others, and his needs continue to progress. The current challenge is that Kevin is rapidly losing his ability to speak and enunciate words. He has done voice banking and has a synthesized voice ready and waiting. However the equipment he needs to make this all work (www.thinksmartbox.com) is stuck in insurance review, and he's been told it would take 1-3 months to receive it. The only way to expedite this process is to pay for it directly. The MSRP for the device, the eye-gaze and mount is over $15,000, but the company offered a private pay discounted price of $11,486. We've been told that insurance is unlikely to reimburse that cost. If insurance does come through with a partial reimbursement, we will apply any donations from this site to other equipment and services Kevin needs as he continues his ALS journey. When Kevin is no longer able to use this equipment, we will donate it to the ALS Loan Closet. Several people have asked how they can help, so we are setting up this page, but please don't feel obligated to donate. Kevin appreciates your friendships, messages, visits, well wishes and prayers more than you know.