First, I have asked for and received Mod permission to post this, for I which I give many thanks.
My wife works in a daycare center. There are approximately 15 kids enrolled there, most under 4 years. I volunteer there as much as possible, which hasn’t been much lately as I live out of town finishing my undergrad degree.
When one works in a childcare center, it’s very easy to get attached to the kids—I would wager that something is wrong if someone does not become attached to these kids. Therefore, it is traumatizing when something happens to one of these children.
Last week my wife informed that a little boy at the daycare, Camden Gonzalez, had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He’s 20 months old. He had been having difficulty walking independently and his mom and dad, who were first-time parents, weren’t aware that this was abnormal. My wife mentioned to his parents that most children are walking well at 20 months, so the parents took him to his pediatrician. The diagnosis was that day.
Cam is currently in Portland, OR going through some extensive testing to determine the size and type of the tumor. It appears that it currently covers approx. ¼ of his brain.
The father works for the U.S. Forest Service and his mother works for Verizon Wireless. While they have insurance, expenses are mounting quickly. Cam’s mother’s co-workers have set up a gofundme account to raise funds to help the family during this ordeal.
I am humbly asking Dopers to consider doing some combination of:
Warm thoughts, prayers, and wishes.
Share the gofundme link on social media.
Make a financial donation.
I am praying for this boy and his family, and I sincerely hope that enough people can be exposed to this gofundme page that enough funds will be raised to make a significant dent in this family’s looming financial crisis.
Since they both work and have insurance, can you be more specific as to the expenses they are incurring? I’m not averse to donating, and have done so in the past, but the OP is a bit vague in this regard. Thanks.
My lateness in replying to your question Chefguy is because I wanted to get as much info as possible before relaying it. It seems to be a hurry-up-and-wait situation.
The father has insurance through the Forest Service, but they recently moved to Southern Oregon and used their savings for the move. They are currently living in a motel while staying in Portland and apparently simply paying with credit cards.
The little boy has been diagnosed with a grade IV Gioblastoma Astrocytoma, a malignant form of brain cancer. Surgery is not possible, and they are looking at other treatment options. He’s currently at Legacy Emanuel in Portland, but it sounds like he’ll soon have to be transferred to Seattle or San Francisco.
This is the parent’s first and only child. I can’t even begin to imagine what they must be going through.
It’s an understandable question. Many people think that if you have insurance you don’t have to worry about cost. Most insurance only pays a portion of the costs and believe me the costs pile up very fast.
Crowd funding has also become a fad recently, and people are quick to ask for money for almost anything. And some have sadly proven to be scams. We do quite a lot for charity, so I tend to be cautious.
Even with good insurance, out of pocket expenses can be high. A high-deductible plan could leave a family on the hook for thousands before it pays a time, and up to 13,000 dollars before they hit the out-of-pocket limit. Not to mention, the costs of transporting to medical visits, accommodations near a hospital, lost wages from time lost from work once sick leave is exhausted…
