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By Coty Dolores Miranda
Contributor
For the previous 12 years, Andrew and Kellie Burkhart have paid all medical bills for his or her son, Andrew, Jr., as he battles cerebral palsy.
The couple estimate month-to-month bills run greater than $1,000, and out-of-state therapies – suspended for now attributable to budgetary constraints – simply hit $20,000 yearly.
Andrew Sr. (Drew) teaches math at Hamilton Excessive College and part-time each day at Bogle Junior Excessive College; he previously taught at Kyrene Akimel A-al in Ahwatukee.
All prices for therapies have been out-of-pocket since Andrew, who will quickly flip 16, was recognized with cerebral palsy a month earlier than his 4th birthday.
The Burkharts had grown pissed off with conventional medical care after repeated diagnoses introduced few solutions. And they also opted to attempt homeopathic drugs.
It meant they had been on their very own as solely 11% of main healthcare insurers cowl homeopathy therapies; most homeopathic physicians don’t settle for insurance coverage.
Together with Drew Burkhart’s wage, the couple’s capacity to pay for Andrew Jr.’s care is dependent upon tax-deductible donations by means of two space nonprofits.
It was on their first go to that the homeopathic physician recognized cerebral palsy.
The analysis shocked the couple, particularly Kellie Burkhart who had labored as a former psychological well being therapist and social employee.
After pondering the out-of-pocket value, they determined to decide to Homeopathic therapies. Inside months, they noticed seen progress of their son’s capacity to stroll and converse.
They knew the trail could be expensive however felt it was the one, and greatest, different. Drew Burkhart stated.
“The homeopathic path was, in actuality, the one path,” he stated. “So many well-meaning professionals crushing my hopes with well-intended phrases: ‘Your son won’t ever speak; Your son’s calf muscle groups will want Botox; he won’t ever’ … fill within the clean. I’m positive the concept was to get me to face information and acquire perspective a few new household path. So I selected one, I selected a brand new household path.
“In actuality my spouse deserves the credit score for our route,” Burkhart continued. “We had a pal with stage 4 most cancers that was already years previous his quoted life expectancy and going robust. His physician grew to become our physician and a world of hope opened – a really costly world of hope.
“So we jumped in head first. To inform the reality, I have no idea which of the pure treatments helped however I did know one thing was working.”
Many occasions, the Burkharts had been uncertain how every thing might be paid.
Time after time, as documented since December, 2010 in Kellie’s weblog, PrayforAndrew.Wordpress.com, she recounts how medical wants had been typically “miraculously” lined because of the donations of pals, strangers and even native companies.
“Andrew has taught us to stay far past our consolation zone,” she stated. “It’s a financially suffocating path, however our baby has improved. Sure, our payments are intensive and costly, but when individuals ask how we do it, I reply ‘by the grace of God.’”
“After we get to the top of our rope, we simply name out to God. I was scared, however the miracles have occurred time and time once more,” she stated.
“Financially it’s nonetheless a mountain however we’re wealthy in so some ways,” stated her husband. “We’ve religion that our path is the precise one.”
Kellie has been fundraising to assist pay for her son’s therapeutic. She began by contacting companies and was not deterred when solely two out of 200 responded.
Now she encourages companies to donate to assist Andrew utilizing the charities who present tax-deductible avenues.
A number of years in the past they had been made conscious of the Cerebral Palsy Hope Basis, which accepts donations particularly for Andrew’s medical wants, making the donations tax deductible.
Andrew grew to become one of many latest ‘Armer Children’ on the Ahwatukee-based nonprofit The Armer Basis. His story may be discovered, together with the opposite kids the inspiration helps help, at ArmerFoundation.org.
Among the many extra expensive of Andrew’s procedures up to now years had been a collection of stem cell and hyperbaric oxygen therapies that the dad and mom say allowed their son to expertise “important enhancements” inside days.
“I imagine probably the most highly effective man-made treatment was the grownup stem cells as Andrew’s life modified dramatically after the primary 4 stem cell therapies,” stated Drew Burkhart.
Kellie Burkhart recalled a 2012 ‘60 Minutes’ program that outed online-sales of ‘bogus’ stem cell therapies. The kid who was to be handled with 4 procedures at $5,000 a bit, had cerebral palsy.
She took to her weblog to inform her readers that whereas she lauded 60 Minutes for exposing the charlatans, her baby had benefited from the umbilical twine stem cell therapies he’d obtained. “He has maintained all areas of progress with no damaging negative effects. I can solely inform others with nice certainty that it did assist our baby.”
“Andrew is the sweetest soul. Even earlier than he may converse, he was all the time making pals,” she stated. “He loves individuals.”
For the Burkhart household, religion is a key to protecting on.
“My pal stopped me within the car parking zone at work a few month into our new journey,” Drew Burkhart shared in an e-mail.
“I guess you pray for therapeutic,” the pal wrote.
“I instructed him, ‘Each evening.’”
The pal replied, “You do not need that. You need the trail that builds religion. You need the wrestle. You need the blessing that may solely be appreciated on the finish of years of development and perspective.”
Drew stated, “I’ve considered that dialog typically. In fact, I is probably not utterly on board with the years of wrestle; it’s onerous. I get there. I do suppose God positioned us on a street we had been meant to stroll. We must be devoted to our objective. My life is far richer due to this life and the blessing that’s my son.”
To study extra about Andrew and his household’s journey see the weblog, PrayforAndrew.wordpress.com and Fb below AndrewsAngels123.
To assist: ArmerFoundation.org.
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