Samuel Lile

For those who have been following Sam, you know that he suffered a stroke back in June of 2018.  While we are grateful for the work that the hospital has done, we have come to the end of his rehab work at the hospital.  Significant setbacks remain.  His left hand is still dysfunctional, his left foot remains spastic and unable to walk without the use of his brace.  His visual field cut on the left remains as he is unable to see anything beyond the midline of his body on the left.  He is only using 1 eye at a time.  He falls frequently due to balance as well as his vision.  Additionally, “HE” is not back.  His interest in doing much of anything is very flat.  His emotions still fluctuate considerably.  There is still much healing that needs to take place.  As we part ways with the hospital we are seeking more answers.... more “outside-the-box” thinkers.  We are very hopeful in the brilliant minds that have more to offer us.... but unfortunately we have come to the end in what our insurance will cover.  We have done our best over the past 8 months to rely on our own resources to make ends meet and cover the additional expenses that are inevitable in a situation such as this.  But without the aid of insurance, we are limited in what we can do on our own to help Sam explore these other options for continued therapy.  One method, in particular, in which we are exceptionally hopeful is sensory integration through Dr. Musgatova who looks at an injured brain more as a developing brain making all new connections.  We met with her in Florida and she evaluated Sam and found nearly all of his primitive (infant) reflexes to be dysfunctional.  He has a good foundation to build on - but everything is presenting in a dysfunctional way.  The science is sound and we are excited to see what progress can be made in her care.  Of course the cost is significant.  Coming back to Florida even once for a week to allow them to work with him intensively will cost about $5000 not including travel or lodging.  Just this first step will amount to an investment of around $8000. This week of therapy and training would get us started on a home program to be assessed and revamped later.  The smaller expenses, we can weave into our budget, but these bigger opportunities with bigger price tags are more than we can keep up with.  If you are so inclined to help us out financially in this way, even if it is just a small contribution, we would be so grateful.  It would allow us to keep moving forward with Sam and to continue looking at new options that can further his restoration.  May God bless you all for your generous hearts.