Therapy Expenses For Landry Troyer

By November of 2015, my only brother, Joel, and his wife Anna Troyer, of Burr Oak, Michigan noticed things were definitely not right with their oldest child, my nephew, Landry, then 2 years old. He had gone from a very affectionate and playful boy who was developing quite normally, to a sober child who no longer responded to his own name, was having mini-seizures, became completely non-verbal, no longer enjoyed being read to and had developed serious "stimming" behaviors. Landry would not make eye contact or do simple tasks like using eating utensils.

He was quickly slipping away from them.

The question was raised in Joel and Anna’s minds: “Was this autism?” Anna began an exhaustive search on the Internet to try to figure out what to do for Landry and who to turn to. As she researched and read over many cases of autism, she came across the name of Dr. Michael Goldberg and, after reading his book, "The Myth of Autism", not only did she discover that Landry’s symptoms mirrored many of those she read about in the book, but she also realized that a large percentage of children today are diagnosed with autism when, in reality, autism is NOT the problem. With this new-found knowledge the Troyers had confidence that they were on the right path to finding some answers for their son. They flew to Los Angeles in January of 2016 and met with Dr. Goldberg who encouraged the Troyers and gave them hope for Landry. With extensive lab work and food sensitivity panels, it was obvious that Landry was ill and that this was definitely an immune issue and not a developmental one. They discovered that his illness (Neuro-Immune Dysfunction Syndrome or NIDS) presents symptoms that resemble autism, but is definitely not true autism. With specific diet changes and a series of anti-viral and anti-fungal medications as well as SSRI's, Landry began to come out of the shell he’d been hiding in for months.

Since his recovery began 6 months ago, Landry has come a long way. He is smiling and laughing again. He’s affectionate, eats with a spoon instead of his fingers, is following commands, shares toys, and is learning to speak. He loves being outside and playing in the sprinkler and he makes eye contact when his name is called. Joel and Anna’s goals for Landry are to get him ready for kindergarten. With that in mind, they plan to take Landry to Madison, Wisconsin in September for MNRI therapy. The MNRI Method is used to support the integration process of primary motor reflex patterns regardless of a person’s condition or age. The cost of the therapy plus lodging will be nearly $7,000 and doesn't include food or travel costs.

In addition to the MNRI therapy the Troyers have found a speech therapy center in Battle Creek, Michgan that specializes in cases of apraxia (a disorder of the nervous system, characterized by an inability to perform purposeful movements, but not accompanied by a loss of sensory function or paralysis) and is a perfect fit for Landry. In only a few sessions with this new facility, Landry has made significant progress and Joel and Anna are once again greatly encouraged by the strides Landry is making. The cost of each half hour session with the speech therapist is $65 if paid in full ($95 if not) and is covered by their health sharing plan through the third week of September. After that, they are on their own, but Joel says, “The therapy can’t stop. It just can’t.” Joel and Anna are willing to do whatever it takes to help Landry. With high costs for groceries for Landry's strict diet, medications that are no longer covered under their sharing plan as well as therapy costs, things have been very tight for the Troyer family. Joel stated he’d put the house up for sale if it meant helping Landry, however God has always provided and proven faithful.

Thirteen years ago, with no clue of what his own future held, my brother Joel held a fundraiser in Nashville, Tennessee for my daughter, Grace and raised over $6,000! With that money we were able to send Grace to a Christian School for special needs children for 1 year. I am not raising funds for my nephew out of obligation, but because I want to make an effort to bless this young family that God has ordained to lead others. The name Landry means “rough land” – the same meaning for my 15-year-old son, Landis. I love how Luke 3:5 answers this: "Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked will become straight, and the rough paths made smooth." We believe God is doing that for Landry and will do it for others through his testimony.

Joel has recently been in a meeting with one of our government leaders regarding raising awareness that autism can be treated medically as NIDS. He’s also been privileged to have the opportunity to share Landry’s story on local radio and in the newspaper. Joel and Anna are doing all they can to raise awareness that so many children (1 in 68) are being put on the autism spectrum when a large amount of them, like Landry, can experience recovery when treated medically. Won’t you please consider helping this family with therapies for their son? By helping Landry you are helping countless others as Joel and Anna are fighting to change the way our government leaders and mainstream medicine view and treat autism or anything that resembles it. THANK YOU!