Hello,

My name is Ivelis. This GoFundMe is for my son Tristan. Tristan is 4 years old, soon to be 5. He is the sweetest, kind, silly, fun-loving kid with the biggest imagination. Tristan is a special boy who was born with complications due to a spontaneous gene mutation. A very rare diagnosis. My son has overcome every challenge thrown his way from his diagnosis. He is the strongest person I know. Every obstacle he has faced, and there have been many, he has done so with a smile on his face. I have always tried to have the same amount of strength.

At the time I became pregnant with my little boy I was an active duty soldier in the Army. I was stationed in Korea and going through a diagnosis journey of my own. I wouldn't be officially diagnosed with Lupus until after my son was born. Tristan was born premature and with what was thought at the time to be a form of achondroplasia (also known as dwarfism). Tristan spent approximately 2 months in the neonatal intensive care unit before he was finally able to come home on a feeding tube. During his time there, an 1hr and a half drive away from where we lived at the time, Tristan had to be intubated a second time following his surgery and also required a blood transfusion. He failed his hearing screen and thus began our life long journey of hearing impairment. Being a first-time mom I felt that I was just getting bad news on top of bad news.

When Tristan was almost 9 months old we received his first hearing aid. The profile picture was his first time using his hearing aid. He laughed so hard and smiled sooooo big at the sound of his own voice. I cried from seeing my baby so happy, and for the first time since his birth I had hope that despite my denial of all that he was facing, that my baby boy would be able to have a relatively "normal" life. For that brief moment all my depression melted away. Being that I was still active duty at the time I was truly blessed that his medical needs were met at 100% through my insurance Tricare Prime.

We are now 4 years later and Tristan's hearing aid needs to be upgraded. I was medically retired in May 2018 from the army following my official diagnosis of Lupus. We remain with Tricare Prime, however since I am now retired they do not cover hearing aids for retiree's or their dependents. I tried numerous times to apply for medicaid since my son does have a disability. I was denied because of my income. I spoke with ChampVA to see if the VA can cover my child. They stated they are unable to cover him because we have tricare, and even if I were to let my tricare go myself and my son would have to be on Medicare Part A and Part B to be able to get ChampVA. My son does not qualify for Medicare Part A and B because he is not on Social Security Disability, he doesn't qualify for that because of my income. I have continued searching and tried every option and have been turned around every time. I am determined not to fail for my son, but I see that I cannot do it alone. Therefore I am here asking for help.

Thank you for even taking the time to read this,

Ivelis, Tristan's Mom