Booher Family Medical Expenses

My name is Tara, I am a nurse, wife, and mother to 3 children. I hate asking for help, but I don't know what else to do at this point. I will make this as short and to the point as I can.

My oldest son Kody has a birth defect called Chiari Malformation. We found out about this when he was 15. He is under the care of a Neurosurgeon at UVA. His symptoms are manageable at this point, but we don't know what the future will hold. He has had numerous MRI's and doctors' visits. Chiari has also caused another condition called Syringomyelia, which causes cysts to form within the spinal cord. Currently he has one in his cervical spine. As of last visit, it had enlarged some. He is being monitored closely for this. As far as the Chiari goes, Kody has refused the brain surgery at this time. All he wants to do is go to school, work, hunt and farm.

My middle child, my only girl, Jordyn was diagnosed with Pediatric Glaucoma this year. She is now seeing a specialist at UVA every few months to monitor her condition. As of right now she does not have any optic never damage, but her pressures in her eyes have remained out of normal limits. She goes back for another visit in January to have more tests done. She loves to play softball, sing, and hunt.

My youngest son, Mason, has been having back pain for a number of years now. We found out this year through x-rays that he has a form of Spina Bifida. He was in Physical Therapy for 6 weeks and that really didn't help. He then saw an Orthopedic doctor, who is not convinced that this is the source of his pain. He was then sent for an MRI, which did not indicate a cause of his symptoms. Now, he is being referred to a Pediatric Neurosurgeon for further evaluation. He is the sweetest boy and loves to hunt, fish and play his guitar.

Unfortunately, it doesn't stop there.

My husband Josh has moderate stage Glaucoma and has optic nerve damage and has lost some of his peripheral vision already. He has had laser surgery, but it did not help much, his eye pressures have still been out of normal range. He has now been referred to a specialist at UVA.

As far as myself, I have a mass that is on my brain stem and spinal cord that I found out about after a car accident in 2008. I have had numerous MRI's myself, but no treatment is indicated at this time. It does, however, affect my lower extremities occasionally.

As parents, we are not worried about ourselves. We just want our children to happy, healthy and free of pain and worry.

As you can imagine, our medical bills are extensive with all the doctors' visits and MRI's and tests we all have to do along with regular check-ups. Our medical bills are beyond what I am asking for but that will help knock a huge chunk out and give us some breathing room.

I am ashamed to even ask for help, but I am trying to stay positive. This is a hard time of year for a lot of families, and I certainly do not want anyone to go without just to help mine. Every donation is appreciated no matter the amount. If you find that you cannot donate, please just pray for us. Thank you!