Make a Microloan for 10-yr old Ezekiel's Health!

This loan has been repaid in full!

First Posted On: September 27, 2008

Name: Ezekiel

Age: 10 years old

Diagnosis: Autism, epilepsy, unspecified brain lesion

Loan Sought: $328

Loan Needed For: Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance premium. (read notes below for more information)

Repayment Terms: 6 months (~ $54.66/month)

Other Notes: Ezekiel's mom, Rebekah, writes: "My son has autism, a brain lesion, seizures, and severe and multiple allergies. He has been on antivirals for 3 years and the gluten-free/casein-free (GFCF) diet for 5 years. He has also been on vitamins and supplements for 3 years. He regresses immediately if we miss 1 day of the antivirals. Last November (2007), Ezekiel's lab work showed an inherited low immunoglobulin -- a weakened immune system. He does have autism, but he is near recovery when the infections (viruses and candidas) are controlled. He was treated by Dr. Stewart in Austin, Texas, for 3 years, but now we are seeing Dr. Rao (a Defeat Autism Now! [DAN!] doctor 5 hours away in Dallas) because he is an immunologist and is perfect for our son's needs. Dr. Rao's nurse, seeing Ezekiel's lab work, said he is a good candidate for intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatments. We've been on hold with treatment, though, because Dr. Rao stopped accepting Medicaid. So we are trying to gather the $328 premium to get him started on Blue Cross Blue Shield, which Dr. Rao does accept. The IVIG treatment costs $2,000 for just one IV treatment; he could need one per week for a while. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas Insurance Pool will pay 100% of Dr. Rao's fees and the treatments. My son qualifies for this insurance because of the epilepsy. If I can mail the $328 premium in, Ezekiel could be covered in 1-2 weeks. We don't have the $328 because we are trying to keep him on his vitamins/supplements and special diet. Also, my husband is driving the mail on contract, and he is not getting reimbursed for gas at this time. I just feel an urgency to get this insurance. I already have a nurse saying he needs this treatment, and a letter from a doctor qualifiying him for Blue Cross Blue Shield. This $328 premium could get him started on treatments in just weeks after the funds are raised; and it has been a lot of research and waiting since we got that lab work last November. My son has been 60 pounds for 3 years ... even with all the vitamins/supplements. I know that the IV-IG treatments can heal my son, and possibly save him as he is just not thriving. Ezekiel is an awesome little 10 year old."

Note: This family also needs help paying for the gas for the 5-hour trip to Dr. Rao's (about $150). Rebekah and I decided not to include that amount in this Lend4Health request in the hopes of getting the loan fulfilled more quickly. But if anybody reading this has any access to gas coupons or free gas cards, please contact Tori by clicking HERE and writing "Gas Money for Ezekiel" in the subject line.

Loans Received as of 11:20am Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Heather (Brock's mom): $10
Ethan, Alex, and Megan: $5
Sheri: $40
Madison: $5
Diane: $68
Cathleen: $70
Noel: $15
Jan: $115 (Cinco de Linco loan) [note: Jan has donated $110 of this amount to Ezekiel's family on Jan. 2, 2009, to help them get back on track with their repayments. This essentially means that Jan's loan amount is now considered to be $5.]

Amount Loaned: $328
Amount Still Needed to Receive Loan: $0!!!

UPDATES - UPDATES - UPDATES

October 1, 2008: Promissory note sent to Ezekiel's mom for signature.

October 18, 2008: Signed promissory note received.

October 18, 2008: Loan of $328 sent to Ezekiel's mom via PayPal.

November 5, 2008: Ezekiel's mom reports that she has mailed in all the paperwork to Blue Cross Blue Shield and is just waiting to hear back now. "I am very excited!" she said.

November 8, 2008: Ezekiel's mom notes that her first repayment will be late this month. She is planning to make their first repayment on Nov. 21st. (note: I will update site statistics for on-time vs. late payments once this repayment is made.)

January 2, 2009: I spoke with Ezekiel's mom today. She explained that they have had a very rough past three months with illnesses and car accidents, and they have been unable to make the past three monthly repayment installments. She is planning to get caught up with the payments within a week or two. I have asked her lenders if they would be willing to extend her schedule from a 6-month repayment schedule to a 12-month schedule. This will cut her monthly payments in half. I have given the lenders one week from today to register any concerns with this. If no concerns are heard, we will change Ezekiel's loan repayment schedule to a 12-month schedule.

January 2, 2009: One of Ezekiel's lenders, Jan, would like to donate her loan to help Ezekiel's family be able to pay back the loan. Jan's loan was $115. Two months of Ezekiel's repayments are $109.34. So what I will do is delete the first two months' payments. I will reduce the amount loaned and disbursed in the statistics by $110. When the loan is fully repaid, Jan will receive $5 back instead of $115

January 24: 2009: Just a note that the 1st (January) repayment is considered past-due.

February 3, 2009: The 2nd (February) repayment is considered past-due.

March 5, 2009: The 3rd (March) repayment is considered past-due.

March 5, 2009: Because this loan is past due and no repayments have been made, I contacted Ezekiel's mom with an offer for a new repayment structure. The original loan amount she received was $328, but in January, one of their lenders (Jan) donated $110 of her loan. That brought the loan amount due down to $218. Although the original repayment terms were for 6 months, I offered to extend them to 12 months, which would bring the monthly amount due down to $18.16. I made this offer because I had not heard any negative feedback from the lenders on previous emails regarding this issue, and because it seems that a restructured, albeit extended repayment plan would be better than a defaulted loan. I told her I considered it "starting over" from scratch.

March 6, 2009: Ezekiel's mom, Rebekah, replied, "Yes, I'm sorry. I have been trying so hard to get the IvIg thing going for Ezekiel. The Dr. said yes, but the insurance is a big headache. We just found out he dropped from 50% on growth/height to 25% in 2 1/2 years. We knew he was not growing, but now we're seeing the allergist for all the food allergies, and a GI Dr and nutritionist; and gathering 10 years of medical records. I am just overwhelmed and exhausted. I will try to get a paypal to you over the weekend. Thank you for patience, and starting over."

April 9, 2009: The 4th (April) installment is considered past-due.

May 1, 2009: Rebekah sent an email saying that their financial situation has improved and she is going to mail the past-due amount via check.

May 4, 2009: The 5th (May) installment is considered past-due.

May 20, 2009: Repayment for $90 received. This covers the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th (January, February, March, April, and May) installments! The repayments on this loan are now caught up! :) Yay! :)

June 4, 2009: The 6th (June) installment is considered past-due.

June 24, 2009: The 6th (June) installment has been made. It is now considered "late" instead of "past-due."

June 24, 2009: The 7th (July 1st) installment was received, 1 week early! :)

July 19, 2009: The 8th (August 1st) installment was received, 13 days early!

September 1, 2009: The 9th (September 1st) installment was received, on time.

September 18, 2009: The 10th (October 1st) installment was received, early.

October 25, 2009: The 11th (November 1st) installment was received, early.

October 25, 2009: Update from Rebekah: "We're doing ok. Ezekiel's seizures have been controlled now, but he has GI symptoms still. The Houston enzymes are working well."

October 27, 2009: More on the update: "We never started IVIG because the lab work for IgG with subclasses and the immune function dysregulation came back normal (regulated) in the months waiting for the insurance. We are still very concerned about chronic Epstein Barr virus [for Ezekiel], we still don't have control of these titers after 4 yrs on antivirals. I also have chronic EBV. I am looking into all possible treatments for this, as the side effects of long term EBV are severe. Rebekah"

January 11, 2010: The 12th (December 1st) installment has been marked past-due. There is $19.02 remaining due on this loan.

March 5, 2010: A fellow Lend4Health mom, Angie, has made the final payment on this loan as a gift for Ezekiel's family, and to "pay forward" the generosity of others who had helped her repay her own loan.

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

March 6, 2010: Original loan amounts have been repaid to the lenders via PayPal.