2008-10-03

Make a Microloan for Brothers Ethan & Alex's Health!

This loan has been repaid in full!



First Posted On: August 13, 2008

Name: Ethan and Alex

Age: 5 years old (Ethan) and 4 years old (Alex)

Diagnosis: Autism & Autism

Loan Sought: $1,250

Loan Needed For: Genetic testing from Dr. Yasko.

Repayment Terms: 18 months (~ $69.44/month)

Other Notes: Ethan & Alex's mom, Angie, wrote the following: "We are requesting a loan to help our family. We have 3 beautiful children, Ethan (just turned 5 in July), Alex (just turned 4 in June), and Megan (just turned 2 in July). You read it right, Ethan and Alex are a mere 10.5 months apart! Both Ethan and Alex are on the Autism Spectrum, and since this past October (2007) have benefitted greatly with Dietary Changes and simple Bio-medical treatments. We started the GFCF diet in October, and also went right ahead and eliminated soy, and also the things they 'tested' positive on their 'allergy' tests: peanuts, eggs, and mustard. So we are now GFCFSFEFPF and Mustard free! LOL! We also, as much as humanly possible, eliminate artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, anything 'chemical' and are as Organic as we possibly can. The diet alone, as many of you know, is pretty expensive to keep up with, let alone the cost of DAN! Doctors and Treatments! We have seen a local DAN! Doctor, also a 'family' doctor, however he is limited because he is part of a practice, and can't do very much other than Diet support, and simple blood work, which, luckily is covered by our insurance. Per his advice, and from my own 'Google' degree (like many of us 'warrior' parents), we need to get some more testing done so that we can tailor diet and supplements/treatments to each boys own genetic and biochemical make-ups, to put our eggs into the RIGHT basket, so that we aren't spending our hard-earned and 'sparse' money on things that one needs and the other doesnt, ya know? So, we are asking for a loan so we can fund "Comprehensive Methylation Panel with Methylation Pathway Analysis" for each boy, as shown by clicking HERE. This includes, not only the testing, but Dr. Yasko's suggestions for treatment, individualized for each boy. Each test is $625.00 per boy, our total loan request is for $1250.00. The diet/lifestyle treatments, along with simple supplements that we have been doing, have made such great improvements to the boys, and even the rest of us, more than I could have even imagined. Both boys used to be on prescription allergy medications, and Ethan, was also on 2 different Asthma meds, along with 3x daily Nebulizer treatments for 'prevention'....now, drum roll please, NO MEDICATIONS, other than some very few and far between doses of Zantac (if we eat spicy foods), where they 'used' to take it daily. I feel its a LIFETIME ago since they were 'so sick'...I can't even IMAGINE what it is going to do for them to have a more direct path to their treatment, after these tests.....they still have a long way to go, Alex is still non-verbal but is SO 'wanting' to talk, he is trying so hard...and Ethan, he is much better with his sensory needs, but still has a long way to go with fine/gross motor control, as well as impulse control...We are ready for this marathon...whatever it takes....Thanks for reading, and thanks for any loan you are willing to help with, for us, and any other family here. I promise, as we are able, we will be paying it forward and help out other families as we can. I plan on having this loan paid back within 18 Months, sooner, if we have a larger than anticipated tax refund. Our current income is from my Husband's Retail Management job (stockroom coordinator) and a small SSI payment for the boys. Please feel free to ask any questions, I am more than happy to answer anything I can. THANKS! Angie and Andy, Parents to Ethan, Alex, and Megan"
Loans Received as of 5:20pm Monday, October 6, 2008

Wanda: $20
Sheri: $80
Willem: $50
Sara: $50
Gregory: $15
Laurel: $10
Jeanne: $5
Anonymous1: $5
Tatiana: $5
Summit to Sea: $25
Laurie: $50
Nana: $5
Dana: $5
Megan: $5
Sharon: $100
Petra: $10
Uma: $20
Jeanne (CINCO DE LINCO LOAN): $5
Tori (CINCO DE LINCO LOAN): $5
Heather (Brock's mom): $10
(A different) Heather (CINCO DE LINCO LOAN): $5
Diane: $20
Petra (noted as CINCO DE LINCO LOAN x 4): $20
Petra: $100
Noel: $20
Petra: $5
Tori: $5
Cathleen: $20
Catherine: $100
Sandra: $20
Jeanne: $10
Joseph: $25
Cathleen: $50
Petra (again!): $50 [noted as early Cinco de Linco loan + bday gift for Jeanne]
Jeanne (again!): $15 [Cinco de Linco loan]
Renee: $25 ["This is to celebrate my new blog http://autismhealing.blogspot.com"]
Victoria: $10
Tori: $25 [Cinco de Linco loan and birthday present for Jeanne]
Jan: $245 [Cinco de Linco loan & Happy Birthday Jeanne!]

Amount Loaned: $1,250
Amount Still Needed to Receive Loan: $0!!!


UPDATES - UPDATES - UPDATES

October 6, 2008: Promissory note sent to Ethan & Alex's parents for signature.

October 9, 2008: Signed promissory note received.

October 9, 2008: Loan for $1,250 sent to parents via PayPal.

November 21, 2008: First repayment installment of $69.44 received. Payment was 11 days late.

December 30, 2008: Second repayment installment of $70.00 received. Payment was 20 days late. [There were issues with PayPal, and Angie kept me notified at all times.]

January 24, 2009: The third repayment installment (due January 10) is past-due.

February 11, 2009: The fourth repayment installment (due February 10) is past-due.

February 11, 2009: Update from Angie: "Hi! I am going to send another money order out to you, via priority again, to cover january/february, and some extra (quite a bit extra actually), I would love to have paid it off, but our one and only van died the beginning of january (it was a beauty too darn it, 1996 though), so we still haven't found one to buy yet, if we still have tax money after that we will send more! The boys, well, let's just sum it up to January was a month of immune system trial for sure, they actually had a pretty bad case of 5ths disease (slapped cheek virus), that put them both out of school for almost 2 full miserable weeks, so this week is full of the stress of like starting the school year over again! Makes me want to go back to Homeschooling, as reality is showing that Alex for example, regressed this fall to the level of the end of the spring last year and has not gained anything back in going to school, it stinks because over the summer, with the very minimal speech therapy provided from the school system (a total of 8 hours for the ENTIRE summer!)...he really progressed and connected with his Speech Therapist...however she wasn't at his school, alex ended up with the same ST from last school year...however, the gains alex made in summer, vocalizing letters, wanting to talk, making efforts to talk, well now have gone away, back to the same dull grunts and noises he had when seeing the school year ST...argh! Anyway we are working hard at that, trying to get their diets on track again, when so sick they didn't get much nutrition since they restricted foods, but we are getting there! Awaiting the testing results!"

March 12, 2009: The fifth repayment installment (due March 10) is past-due.

March 12, 2009: An anonymous individual has paid the third (January) installment ($69.44) for this loan. The third (January) payment is now considered "late" instead of "past-due."

March 12, 2009: An anonymous individual has paid the fourth (February) installment ($69.44) for this loan. The fourth (February) payment is now considered "late" instead of "past-due."

March 12, 2009: An anonymous individual has paid the fifth (March) installment ($69.44) for this loan. The fifth (March) payment is now considered "late" instead of "past-due."

March 13, 2009: Note from Angie:
Oh my gosh! What a TRUE ANGEL!!!!

Please tell this Angel that the help is probably the best thing that has happened to us! Ever since the original loan! The TWO fabtastic and best things that we have been Blessed with in a looong time! This lifts a HUGE concern for us! I have been praying everyday, and worrying every minute trying to figure out how to catch up! *whew*!!!!

Please send a BIG HUG and a BIG KISS to this Angel! Also, let that Angel know that I will Pay it Forward, once I finish paying the loan off, I will then pay the amount that was paid for us (3 months) towards other loans for families that need some help....so we will not let the generosity go un-used ('un-used' isn't the right word, but I am just so shocked and humbled I can't think of what the 'right' word is..LOL!)...

Thanks again!

Angie


March 31, 2009: Partial payment ($5) of the sixth (April) repayment received. Remaining amount due on the sixth (April) payment is $64.44.

April 2, 2009: This family's loan repayment schedule is changing from the 10th of the month to the 15th of the month, to better coincide with their schedule, and to coincide with other Lend4Health repayment schedules. The next payment due is April 15.

April 5, 2009: Partial payment ($35) of the sixth (April) repayment received. Remaining amount due on the sixth (April) payment is $34.44.

April 16, 2009: Remainder of the sixth (April) repayment received. The sixth (April) 2009 payment installment is complete and was received on-time (within 24 hour grace period).

April 24, 2009: Partial payment ($35) of the seventh (May) repayment received. Remaining amount due on the seventh (May) payment is $34.44 (due May 15, 2009).

May 24, 2009: Remainder of the seventh (May) repayment received. The seventh (May) 2009 payment installment is complete but was received late.

May 24, 2009: Received partial payment ($5.56) of the eighth (June) repayment. Remaining amount due on the eighth (June) payment is $63.88.

June 19, 2009: The 8th (June 15th) repayment is considered past-due. The amount due is $63.88.

June 27, 2009: The 8th (June 15th) repayment has been received. It is now considered "late" instead of past-due.

June 27, 2009: Received overpayment of $4.12. Will reduce October 2009 payment to $65.32.

July 2, 2009: An anonymous person has made the 9th, 10th, and 11th (July, August, and September) installments on this loan (total $208.32) as a gift to this family. The next payment due will be October 2009.

August 20, 2009: Update from Angie: "We were chosen to be a Grant Family thru Generation Rescue! Both Ethan and Alex were accepted. We got our welcome kit w/supplements/Jenny's new book/guidebook with lots of info/menus from Julie Matthews/a flip cam video camera (to be returned after the program is done)...we are waiting to hear who our doctor for the boys will be! We can't wait...starting Aug 25th for 90 days we journal by hand and some before-during-after videos...I can't wait to start! This past week, we went 'off' of the GFCF diet for the most part till the 25th, so we can really start from scratch with the supplements..and boy have we noticed a difference off of the diet...just after like 3 days life became MISERABLE for all of us, all or our tummys are terrible...so we are back to about 80% GFCF, will be 100% on the 25th...yikes, HOW did we LIVE before the GFCF?"

October 28, 2009: The 12th installment (due October 15) has been received. The amount was $70, which is an overpayment of $0.56, so the final payment will be reduced by $0.56. This installment was received 13 days late.

November 24, 2009: Note from Angie that the 13th installment (due November 15) will be late. She plans to send it at the beginning of December. "Thanks again to you and to ALL of my lenders, and the lenders for all of the other families here! Happy Turkey Day!"

December 9, 2009: Two $5 loans made from Angie to other children on Lend4Health have been repaid and put toward the December installment due. The remaining amount due for the December installment is $59.44.

December 18, 2009: The 13th installment (due November 15) has been marked "past due."

December 26, 2009: The 14th installment (due December 15) has been marked "past-due."

December 28, 2009: The 13th installment (due November 15) has been made as a gift from one of Ethan & Alex's lenders. The amount was $69.44. This installment has now been marked "late" instead of "past-due."

December 28, 2009: One of Ethan & Alex's lenders has made a gift of $55.56 to help repay the past-due 14th installment (due December 15). The remaining amount due for the December installment is $3.88. Once this remaining amount is received, this installment will be marked "late." For now, it still is considered "past due."

February 2, 2010: The 15th installment (due January 15) has been marked "past due."

March 5, 2010: The remainder of the 14th installment (due December 15), $3.88, has been received. It has now been marked "late" instead of "past-due."

March 5, 2010: The 15th installment (due January 15) has been received. The amount was $69.44, and it has been marked "late" instead of "past-due."

March 5, 2010: The 16th installment (due February 15) has been received. The amount was $69.44, and it was received late.

March 5, 2010: The 17th installment (due March 15) has been received. The amount was $69.44, and it was received early.

March 5, 2010: The 18th installment (due April 15) has been received. The amount was $64.84, and it was received early.

March 5, 2010: This loan has been repaid in full!

March 5, 2010: All lenders have been repaid their original loan amounts via PayPal.

4 comments:

tcd said...

Hi Tori,

Thanks for discovering me and reading my blog. I love the lendforhealth idea - you are an angel to think about those in need like this. I have posted about lendforhelth at my two blogs (as well as on Twitter and Plurk) and I hope that will help get the word out.

Here are links to my posts:

http://theautismexperience.blogspot.com/2008/08/lend4health-great-idea-worth-supporting.html

http://gfcfexperience.blogspot.com/2008/08/lend4health-great-idea-worth-supporting.html

Take care, and thanks again for supporting families in need.

Anonymous said...

Thanks to all who have come to 'invest' in our family and the other families who are listed here! We are so thankful to you to keeping the loans funding and to Tori for creating this wonderful site! Thanks everyone! Angie Mom to Ethan, Alex and Megan

Petra said...

Hi Angie (in case you're checking here) - just wanted to give you a little *thumbs up* on deciding to get your boys' genomics done through Dr. Yasko (I did that for my two boys in summer of 2006, and while the protocol is a TON of work, it's been so worth it).

A whole bunch of us are burning the internet wires regarding your loan request (as well as the other loan requests of course). Keep the faith!!

Blessings,
Petra

Anonymous said...

I am SO floored by everyones compassion and help! To those that have loaned to us, THANK YOU! To those who have loaned again and again, well, SUPER THANK YOU! I can not believe the enthusiasm and generous people who have helped us! THANKS from the bottom of our hearts!
Angie
Mom to Ethan, Alex, and Megan