In December 2022 Joshua started having back pains after playing basketball in school. This led to Jacob, his dad noticing that Joshua’s right shoulder is lower than his left shoulder. We had Joshua see a doctor right away and the doctor referred Joshua to the nearby children’s hospital. After X-rays and an MRI, Joshua was diagnosed with Scoliosis in Feb 2023 with 32° curvature and part of his spine is twisting. By March 2023 he started wearing a brace.
In August 2023, Joshua had another X-ray and CT Scan with results showing that Joshua’s curve has gotten worse, to 43°. Since the children’s hospital is so booked out, Joshua didn’t start physical therapy (called Schroth therapy for scoliosis) until September 2023.
Joshua usually plays soccer during the first quarter and basketball on the second quarter of the school year. Joshua dropped out from both sports because of his back pains. Seems to be worse when he’s running.
This led us, his parents to do more research. Our son is not getting any better and is now living in more pain as his scoliosis curvature is now at 53°. We know that the whole medical world’s solution to scoliosis is surgery. The doctor at the children’s hospital told us we wait and see if it gets worse then he will have surgery if he needs it. But we choose to avoid this because the majority of people who have surgery do not have a better quality of life. They lose range of motion and majority live in pain the rest of their lives. We just don’t want to risk it for our son. We were thinking, there must be a solution somewhere out there. By thanksgiving weekend we found a scoliosis treatment center in San Jose, California that has a non-surgical solution to scoliosis! Now we have hope for Josh!
As regular employees we do not have the extra money to cover this big medical expense plus we have to travel and get accommodations. This type of therapy is going to be out of network and our health insurance will only cover a small portion. The treatment needed will cost $5,000 for each week of intensive therapy. He began treatment on 1/1/2024 with 3 weeks of therapy ($15,000) and then 1 week every 3 months for the next 2-4 years. He would have to continue going every three months for 1 week until he reaches skeletal maturity (and his spine will no longer curve again.) As part of his therapy he will need a traction chair which cost $7,900, an aggressive full torso brace (during the 2-4 years of treatments he may potentially need 2-4 different ones as he grows) each one costs $6,500, spinal weighting equipment which is around $1,350, lab work and other testing costs $800, and supplements that he will need to take daily to help with his pain and the nutrition for his body to grow correctly with this disease will cost around $300 a month. On average our travel expenses will be around $2,625.
When we look at the finances, it seems really scary to see the humongous amount we have to come up with. We will need $31,500 to begin the program. We estimate that we will be at a hundred grand by the time we continue therapy past the second year! But we didn’t want anything to prohibit us from providing the proper treatment that Josh clearly needs. Any parent will do whatever they can for their child to have a better quality of life in the future.
First, we would like to ask for your prayers. We pray for wisdom for all the medical professionals who will help us; for guidance and wisdom for us to make the right decisions; for Joshua to persevere through the pain and that he may make the right choices for his body, and lastly, we pray for faith and trust in God through the ups and downs of the journey ahead of us! We want to abide in Jesus’ unfailing love and pray for unwavering faith and loyalty to our God who will do what is best for us, even when circumstances show otherwise. What looks like an insurmountable problem right now will only be an opportunity to show God’s power in the future.
Secondly, we ask for donations only if you are compelled to help and have extra money you can afford to part with. We don’t want anyone who has financial difficulties to spend money on us. We know the value of hard earned money and we will do our part to work more, to earn more and pay for the medical bills…but just based on our math, we will need some help!
And lastly, please share Joshua’s fundraiser with anyone you know who will be able to help! It is now so true for us more than before, it does take a village to raise a child.
Thank you for your prayers and support!
UPDATE As of February 2024:
Joshua is doing his therapies at home, taking 3 hours or more a day. We’re hoping to do them in less time as he gets into a routine. He also has a goal to wear his brace for 23 hours a day by the end of February. This has been hard since he needs to lose weight to feel comfortable in it. We’ve adjusted our diets and Josh is doing more cardio to lose more weight quickly. Please pray that Joshua reaches his goals. Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
Jolina & Jacob