Luke Lorton Treatment Fund
Donation protected
Please see the below letter that was sent from Mike Lorton, Lukes father.
Luke has recently been diagnosed with a medical condition called PANDAS. Apparently, this happened when strep bacteria crossed the nasal/brain barrier and subsequently entered his brain. From there, it encased itself in small cysts (mimicking brain cells) which caused his immune system to attack his basal ganglia. This is causing inflammation and damage to that part of his brain - which is causing a multitude of motor and cognitive issues that resemble OCD, TICS, Tourette's, as well as constant seizures, falls, anxiety, spatial recognition problems, etc.
He was removed from school last month and continues to require 24/7 monitoring at home. My wife has quit work to be home with him on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, our insurance has fought us the entire way and refused to cover almost everything including the key (IVIG) treatment that his Pediatric Neurologist (Urgently) ordered back on April 19th.
Although the outcome is positive, the treatment can include a lot of serious side effects like anaphylaxis, seizures, heart problems, nausea, vomiting, headache, etc. The actual procedure takes place over 2-days and he needs to be observed and remain quarantined for 2-3 weeks following.
Despite all of our efforts, our insurance still refuses to cover the treatment. At the same time, Luke's condition continues to deteriorate and we can't wait any longer. The cost of the treatment can range from $10,000 - $30,000 depending on how many times Luke needs it and this doesn't include the incidentals and unforeseen.
That brings us to today (5/25/17). This morning we are so happy to report that we reached our initial goal. I posted an update a couple of hours ago expressing our immeasurable thanks and I only hope that it is reflected again here. That being said, because we are unsure of the actual long term costs, we have decided to leave this donation site open for now. The last thing that we want is for anyone to think that we are being greedy. Several people have reached out and voiced their concerns that we should leave it open because it offers people an outlet to reach out and help in a way that is beyond words. We will continue to provide updates as they come along. We plan to track the costs very carefully throughout Luke's treatment and recovery periods. Although that may take a while, we plan to forward any unused funds to support someone else in need.
Thankfully yours,
Michael Lorton
Luke has recently been diagnosed with a medical condition called PANDAS. Apparently, this happened when strep bacteria crossed the nasal/brain barrier and subsequently entered his brain. From there, it encased itself in small cysts (mimicking brain cells) which caused his immune system to attack his basal ganglia. This is causing inflammation and damage to that part of his brain - which is causing a multitude of motor and cognitive issues that resemble OCD, TICS, Tourette's, as well as constant seizures, falls, anxiety, spatial recognition problems, etc.
He was removed from school last month and continues to require 24/7 monitoring at home. My wife has quit work to be home with him on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, our insurance has fought us the entire way and refused to cover almost everything including the key (IVIG) treatment that his Pediatric Neurologist (Urgently) ordered back on April 19th.
Although the outcome is positive, the treatment can include a lot of serious side effects like anaphylaxis, seizures, heart problems, nausea, vomiting, headache, etc. The actual procedure takes place over 2-days and he needs to be observed and remain quarantined for 2-3 weeks following.
Despite all of our efforts, our insurance still refuses to cover the treatment. At the same time, Luke's condition continues to deteriorate and we can't wait any longer. The cost of the treatment can range from $10,000 - $30,000 depending on how many times Luke needs it and this doesn't include the incidentals and unforeseen.
That brings us to today (5/25/17). This morning we are so happy to report that we reached our initial goal. I posted an update a couple of hours ago expressing our immeasurable thanks and I only hope that it is reflected again here. That being said, because we are unsure of the actual long term costs, we have decided to leave this donation site open for now. The last thing that we want is for anyone to think that we are being greedy. Several people have reached out and voiced their concerns that we should leave it open because it offers people an outlet to reach out and help in a way that is beyond words. We will continue to provide updates as they come along. We plan to track the costs very carefully throughout Luke's treatment and recovery periods. Although that may take a while, we plan to forward any unused funds to support someone else in need.
Thankfully yours,
Michael Lorton
Organizer and beneficiary
Michael Lorton
Organizer
Wildomar, CA
Michael Lorton
Beneficiary
