Backing Up Carter
Donation protected
My husband Dan and I welcomed Carter Camden Rhodes into the world 6 weeks early on May 31, 2013. It was apparent early on that Carter was in for an uphill battle. Carter was in the hospital for 6 weeks before we could bring him home, but that was only the beginning.
As Carter's first year has passed it has been clear that there are issues affecting his growth and development. Scoliosis and Kyphosis was diagnosed early on, but there is more. He has undergone several genetic tests to determine what type of connective tissue disorder he may have, but they have all come back negative and normal. However, Dan, his many doctors and I continue to seek a diagnosis in order to find the best route for treatment.
Right now Carter has therapy, frequent check-ups, and a scheduled procedure for his scoliosis and kyphosis. Over the next years of his life he will be receiving a series of procedures every 4-8 weeks to put in place a back cast, remove the cast, put in a back brace. We will have to repeat this process until he is old enough to receive a spinal surgery. We expect this to be around 3 or 4 years old. His doctors also believe a special genetic panel would be best in order to eliminate as much unnecessary testing as possible. Unfortunately, this is often not covered by insurance and can cost over $5000. We have used our nest egg to pay for Carter's medical expenses, but we are still falling short. I have contacted and applied at many different government and non-profit outlets, but we don't qualify for help. Our only option left is to share our story and pray. Thank you for reading about our sweet boy. For more information about Carter and to follow his story please visit our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BackingUpCarter?ref=notif¬if_t=fbpage_fan_invite.
Tara
As Carter's first year has passed it has been clear that there are issues affecting his growth and development. Scoliosis and Kyphosis was diagnosed early on, but there is more. He has undergone several genetic tests to determine what type of connective tissue disorder he may have, but they have all come back negative and normal. However, Dan, his many doctors and I continue to seek a diagnosis in order to find the best route for treatment.
Right now Carter has therapy, frequent check-ups, and a scheduled procedure for his scoliosis and kyphosis. Over the next years of his life he will be receiving a series of procedures every 4-8 weeks to put in place a back cast, remove the cast, put in a back brace. We will have to repeat this process until he is old enough to receive a spinal surgery. We expect this to be around 3 or 4 years old. His doctors also believe a special genetic panel would be best in order to eliminate as much unnecessary testing as possible. Unfortunately, this is often not covered by insurance and can cost over $5000. We have used our nest egg to pay for Carter's medical expenses, but we are still falling short. I have contacted and applied at many different government and non-profit outlets, but we don't qualify for help. Our only option left is to share our story and pray. Thank you for reading about our sweet boy. For more information about Carter and to follow his story please visit our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BackingUpCarter?ref=notif¬if_t=fbpage_fan_invite.
Tara
Organizer
Tara Rhodes
Organizer
North Fort Myers, FL