Veteran Seeking Medical Help

Veteran Anticipating Significant Medical Expenses

I proudly served in the U.S. Navy from 1989-1995.

Hello and thank you for taking the time to read this! My name is David and I am a U.S. Navy Veteran from Desert Storm and Somalia, having faithfully served my country from 1989-1995. A bad jump in a hole damaged my spine and has been one of those things that worsened over time, to the point that I really need to get it taken care of.  We could really use some helping hands. We are looking at $10,000 for braces for two of our children and an unknown amount in estimated medical deductibles (25% our share with the insurance) to cover the myriad surgeries and appointments. A more detailed history of how we got here is found below. I want to again thank you in advance for your assistance!

My 3 youngest children: DJ, Zoya, and Harley

My wife and I have been together for over ten years now, busy raising our blended family of six children and establishing our own company. We have faced increasingly difficult medical challenges with even more anticipated in the near future. This is our story.

My son and namesake, DJ, faced many challenges, even before he announced his arrival in 2006. When my wife was four months pregnant, we discovered his bladder was located outside his body. We were not even sure whether or not he would make it to term, but we held on to our faith and did the best we could. Our son is a true miracle. He had his first surgery 24 hours after being born and stayed in the hospital for six weeks. We finally brought him home, only to rush him back to the hospital for an emergency hernia surgery. He had a second corrective surgery when he was four. Since then he has struggled with accidents, leaking, and thus far, a single urinary tract infection. Unfortunately, this type of birth defect is not a one-time thing, but something that has to be monitored and checked on a regular consistent basis. We anticipate another surgery in the very near future as his bladder is extremely sensitive and he has developed a second “fissure” that has to be repaired. It is because of DJ that my wife and I began homeschooling our children; we wanted to protect him as much as possible. Additionally, we recently learned that he needs two separate sets of braces. He has a significant bite issue resulting in the loss of gum tissue, which can cause him to lose teeth if we do not take care of it immediately. He also has to wear glasses with prisms while doing his schoolwork, to keep the lines of text straight.

DJ's school photo. As you can see, he needs his braces!

My second daughter, Zoya, was born 2 years and 11 days later in 2008. We were asked to participate in a healthy heart study at the local hospital because everything appeared normal and she had passed her initial pediatric screening. You can imagine our surprise to learn she had a hole in her heart. Had it not been for our participation in the study, it may have gone undiagnosed. As it was, we were made aware of it and had to have her checked periodically. Thankfully, the hole in her heart closed completely by the time she turned three, for which we are extremely thankful. At the same time we learned that DJ needed braces, we learned that Zoya needs them as well! She also has to wear glasses, albeit on a full-time basis in order to see. Without them, everything is “jiggly”.

Zoya loved  these glasses...too bad they broke.

My wife suffered many miscarriages after Zoya was born and actually thought we were done having children when we were surprised to learn we were expecting twins. Unfortunately, we lost one of them, but were blessed to have our baby girl, Harley. She marches to her own drum! Harley had an allergic reaction to a vaccine when she was six months old. At 18 months, she suffered her first asthma attack. And in December 2016 she was diagnosed with allergies to cats, dogs, dust, grass, weeds, and trees; all of which affect her asthma and her ability to breathe. She is currently taking medications in excess of $300 per month and has to use a nebulizer on a regular basis. Fortunately, these are currently covered with our health insurance.

Harley using her nebulizer to ease her breathing.

Since leaving the Navy, I had worked for a few companies as well as for myself on a part-time basis. I ultimately decided it was time to go for it, so to speak, and founded my company in 2010. For the first five years, the success of the business relied solely on me as my wife was busy taking care of the family and homeschooling the three youngest children. But all of this has taken a toll on my health, especially the back injury that has gone untreated for over 20 years. I have always been one to put my children first - and their health has definitely been a priority.

Harley having a good day in kindergarten.

This past year, we enrolled our children in public school. It is not that we are against public education, but we were significantly concerned about how our son would do in such a public environment; we were also concerned about how our youngest daughter would do with all the germs and viruses floating around. My wife felt that she had to decide between homeschooling and helping me with our business. I am proud of all the work that she has done! With all of her help, we grew our business even though I was only able to work one-third of the time I had worked in the past due to the disabling back pain. Yet, instead of being rewarded for our success, I fear we will be punished.

Harley loves the Green Bay Packers! Go! Pack! Go!

In preparing our year-end financials, I realized that we had achieved the next tax bracket. This meant that all of our hard work in the past year is resulting in more taxes being taken out, a loss of our refund, and the anticipated loss of our health insurance (but the kids will stay covered). Our current health insurance policies are based on our income level, and while our business’ growth was only a few thousand dollars, it is enough to impact our eligibility. And so now, we are seeking your assistance because we have major medical expenses that we absolutely need to finance. We have received a quote for health insurance for my wife and me, and while affordable on a monthly basis, the 25% portion when combined with all the other medical expenses forthcoming is daunting.

I felt that we had few options left, and so I humbly ask for your assistance.

KNOWN EXPENSES
So what kind of known expenses am I looking at?

Health Insurance for 2 Adults: $250/month
Deductibles: $200/year/adult
Share of Expenses: 25% (Insurance covers 75%)
First Set of Braces for DJ (6 Teeth): $3,000/one time
Braces for Zoya: $6,000/one time
Second Set of Braces for DJ (Full): $6,000/one time
Annual Eye Exams (DJ/Zoya wear glasses):  $240/yr

UNKNOWN EXPENSES
I also have a few unknown expenses. I do not yet know how much it will cost to have my back fixed, but I can anticipate the loss of my contribution to the business. This past year I contributed 55 percent of the company’s gross income; my wife generated the other 45 percent. I am looking at a loss ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 per month (gross). My family’s entire livelihood is dependent on my business and the net income it generates.

Here are some estimates for the unknown expenses:

Recovery from Back Surgery: $20,000 (loss of income)

REPLACEMENT VEHICLE
Finally, just as my wife and I were trying to figure out how we would cover all of these expenses, my vehicle radiator system imploded to the point of being not repairable. We are now down to one vehicle, which already has a loan payment associated with it. We are dependent on having two vehicles as there are days that I drive over 300 miles and she needs a vehicle to take care of the children and get them to their medical appointments. Heaven forbid there should ever be an emergency, such as an asthma attack, while I am gone. As it is, I am declining some projects because of all the logistics. I would also like to replace my vehicle. I am not looking for something new.

Replacement Vehicle: $5,000 or less

I am certainly thankful for all that we have been blessed with; however, it is all becoming just a bit overwhelming and I could really use some assistance. Any help to alleviate the ongoing and soon to be even higher medical costs is very much appreciated. I will continue to update you and adjust the goals as we finalize each item.