Make a Microloan for 8-yr old Michael's Health!

This loan repayment is past-due.

First Posted On: March 28, 2009

Name: Michael

Age: 8 years old

Location: New Mexico, USA

Diagnosis: Autism

Loan Sought: $1,405 [reduced from $1,605 on 5/5/09 since Nordic Naturals offered to provide a year's worth of free products for Michael, roughly $200 worth]

Loan Needed For: A variety of supplements and tests: (1) $350 for approximately one year's worth of B-12 shots; (2) $350 for approximately one year's worth of calcium/vitamin D, Magnesium Citrate, Multi Enzyme, Super Nu Thera, Taurine, TMG, Glutathione, NAC, Probio Gold, S. Boulardi, Nasal Oxytocin, and Probiotics; (3) $200 for one year's worth of Nordic Naturals Cod Liver Oil and DMG; (4) $275 for six months of OSR; (5) $130 for porphyrin test at French lab; and (6) $300 for IgE/IgG food allergy/sensitivity panel. Michael's DAN! [Defeat Autism Now!] doctor is Dr. Kenneth Stoller.

Repayment Terms: One lump sum, due 12 months after loan fulfilled.

Other Notes: Michael's mom, Laura, writes, "Michael is 8 and was diagnosed last year with Autism. We have been on our journey for 16 months. He is HFA [high-functioning autism] and in my opinion has a great chance to recover. Michael loves art and computers. He plays soccer, and thanks to bio med, is no longer crying on the field. His first year of soccer, was nothing but crying. In 2003 we knew that something was not right with him. He was requiring hand-over-hand assistance in order to figure out what he needed. He had 15-20+ meltdowns a day. He did not potty train until 5.5. He had no social skills, and his sensory was a mess. We went to Child Find multiple times in search of a diagnosis. Our school district was unable to give us any answers and marked him as DD in his evaluation. We saw many psychologists all of whom were just as clueless. Finally, at the beginning of 2007 we received the diagnosis of high-functioning autism. I consider Michael to be lucky. I read Jenny McCarthy's book "Louder Than Words" at the book store because I could not afford to buy the book. The very next day...I found a rescue angel, Lynne Sanchez. She pointed me to Dr. Stoller, and my son was on his way to recovery. We have had recent regression, but we have almost corrected it. I do think that Michael is the most amazing child and because of him I learn every day. Every day is not easy, but we have our accomplishments.

Reference Provided By: Victoria W. (also a Lend4Health lender), Lynne S., and the office of Dr. Stoller

Michael's Community of Lenders:

Alison: $25
Martha: $25
Jeanne: $18 [loan made from Brock's repaid loan] This loan was made outside of ChipIn, so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $18.
Catherine: $125 [re-loan from Brock's repaid loan]
Will: $25 [re-loan from Brock's repaid loan]
Karen M: $50
Karen F: $5
Faustin's family: $20
Tori: $5 [Cinco de Linco!]
Jeanne: $5 [Cinco de Linco!]
Petra: $10 [Cinco de Linco!]
Renee: $5 [Cinco de Linco!] This loan was made outside of ChipIn, so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $5.
Sean: $10 [Cinco de Linco!]
Patti: $5
Karen F: $5 [Cinco de linco, one day late'o, we were out of town'o]
Matt: $10 [re-loaned from Julian's repaid loan] Loan was made outside of ChipIn, so ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $10.
Dana C: $10
Jannett (Alani's mom): $5 ["paying it forward"]
Fion: $20
Angie F: $20 ["I think what you are doing is fantastic! My daughter has ASD and we have been doing biomed for awhile now. We've made lots of progress and I think it's great that you are helping others to have that option of biomed."]
Karen F (again): $5
Amy P: $50 [this loan was made outside of ChipIn, so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $50]
Karen F (again): $10 [re-loaned from Charlie's repaid loan] This loan was made outside of ChipIn, so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $10.
Michelle: $20 [re-loaned from Charlie's repaid loan] This loan was made outside of ChipIn, so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $20.
Petra (again): $10 ["My random act of kindness for today."]
Mark: $35
Dana C (again): $30
Ian: $25
Noel: $25 (re-loan from Avery & Anthony's repaid loan) [loan made outside of ChipIn, so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $25]
Tori: $5 [Cinco de Linco]
Karen F (again): $5 [Cinco de Linco]
MaryBeth: $5 ("In memory of Mason") [Cinco de Linco]
Jeanne: $5 [Cinco de Linco]

Tim Terry of Nordic Naturals has offered to provide $200 worth of Michael's cod liver oil for free. This is a gift, not a loan, so the loan request amount has been reduced by $200.

Dana C (again): $5 [Happy Cinco de Linco!]
Kristina (Jordan's mom): $5
Shawn: $10
Petra: $10 ["Belated Cinco de Linco loan on Cinco de Mayo"]
Jason: $10
Jeanne, Mike, and Charlie: $10
Luke: $20
Karen F (again): $10
Jody: $10
Joanna: $20
Tim: $20 ["For my new friend Michael."]
Randy at AutismFreeZone: $20 ["Hope this helps!"]
Jessica P: $20
Jennifer M: $25
Michelle: $20
Cathleen: $50 ["Recycling old loan $ but who knows which old loan $???"]
Valerie: $20 [Re-loaned from a repaid loan] Note: This loan was made outside of ChipIn so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $20.
Danielle (Kosta's mom): $20 Note: This loan was made outside of ChipIn so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $20.
Hans: $20
Karen F (again): $5
Liz (Dazmen's mom): $4 Note: This loan was made outside of ChipIn so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $4.
Karen F (again): $5 [Re-loaned from Jordan's repaid loan] Note: This loan was made outside of ChipIn so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $5.
Bonnie: $5 [Re-loaned from Jordan's repaid loan] Note: This loan was made outside of ChipIn so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $5.
Renee (again): $5 [Re-loaned from Jordan's repaid loan] Note: This loan was made outside of ChipIn so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $5.
Patty: $20
Ian: $10
Jeanne (again): $11 [Re-loaned from Jordan's repaid loan] Note: This loan was made outside of ChipIn so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $11.
Stacey C: $10 [Re-loaned from Jordan's repaid loan] Note: This loan was made outside of ChipIn so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $10.
Gregory: $10
Petra (again): $10 [re-loaned from Jordan's repaid loan]
Henry: $20
Kristina (Jordan's mom): $10
Karen F (again): $5 ["Early Cinco de Linco"]
Tori (again): $5 ["Cinco de Linco"]
Jan: $25 ["Cinco de Linco"]
Jeanne (again): ["Cinco de Linco"]
John: $10
Petra (again): $5 ["Happy Cinco de Linco"]
Sally (from the Six Nations Reserve in Canada): $5 [Cinco de Linco Loan]
Bugsy (from the Six Nations Reserve in Canada): $5 [Cinco de Linco Loan]
Shirley (from the Six Nations Reserve in Canada): $5 [Cinco de Linco Loan]
Trudy (from the Six Nations Reserve in Canada): $5 [Cinco de Linco Loan]
Heather (Brock's mom): $5 [Note: This loan was made outside of ChipIn so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $5]
Christine: $15
Ian: $21 [Note: This loan was made outside of ChipIn so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $21.]
Luke: $20
Sonja (Kyle's mom): $10 ["would like to see Michael reach his goal in his loan and fully recover. I like his pic"]
Jeanne (again): $5 [Note: This loan was made outside of ChipIn so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $5]
Karen F (again): $10
Tim T of Nordic Naturals (again): $50
Sheri: $40
Petra (again): $10
Jan: $61 ["...in response to Jeanne, Petra & Karen's FB plea."]
Charlie: $5.75

UPDATES - UPDATES - UPDATES

June 19, 2009: This loan has been fully funded! Final loan amount is $1410.75.

June 19, 2009: Promissory note sent to Laura for signature.

June 19, 2009: Signed promissory note received.

June 20, 2009: Loan of $1,410.75 sent to Laura via check in Priority Mail. This loan will be due in one lump sum payment on July 1, 2010.

June 21, 2009: Thank you note from Laura:

Wow what a response from Sooo many of you. Each and every one of you are the most selfless people that I know. It is because of all of you that Michael will be able to continue his Journey of Hope into recovery. Today his Journey will become brighter and he will become stronger. It is with great privilege that I write today to thank each and every single one of you from the bottom of our hearts. During our Journey we have had our ups and downs. This summer we have been attending HBOT [Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy] in Santa Fe, NM. HBOT has been like the miracle in Michael's life. Having HBOT for us has increased his speech and cognition beyond what we ever thought that it would be. It is like having someone dust the cobwebs out of our son's head. We now have a SON with real potential. This change has been extremely shocking, surprising, and overwhelming. Michael will continue HBOT under Dr. Stoller's care for a total of 60 rounds.

Week 1: We will be sending off the first lab to the french lab for bio marker to determine what his toxic level is, if any.

Week 2: All his supplements will be ordered from Kirkmans next weekend. MB-12 shots will be ordered from McGuffs.

more to follow.

I want to especially give a very special thank you to Charlie for your loan to Michael. You are a spectacular child who has learned a beautiful concept and that is to give.

With hope comes Healing, and you our community of lenders are our Hope.

Laura And Michael

July 6, 2009: Update: Laura has ordered all of Michael's supplements.

July 27, 2010: The lump-sum repayment of $1,410.75 was due on July 1, 2010. It has not been received and has been marked past-due.

Make a Microloan for Karen & Megan's Health!

This loan has been repaid in full!

Karen is the youngest, with glasses. Megan is behind her in the pink shirt. They are at the park with their sister, Logan, in the jacket, and their brother, Kevin.

First Posted On: May 15, 2009

Name: Karen & Megan

Age: 8 years old (Karen) and 15 years old (Megan)

Location: Kansas, USA

Diagnosis: Karen: Suspected lyme disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), and uveitis; Megan: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), suspected lyme disease, severe dyslexia, and central auditory processing disorder (CAPD).

Loan Sought: $520

Loan Needed For: IGeneX basic lymes disease panel for each child. The test is $260 each, so $520 for both.

Repayment Terms: One lump-sum repayment by February 28, 2010.

Other Notes: Karen and Megan are sisters from a family of five children, each of whom have various health issues. The parents believe that the children are suffering from Lyme Disease, and that some of the children may have Lyme-induced autism. They would like to conduct a test for Lymes that is not covered by insurance but that is considered to be a definitive test for Lymes. By having the results from this test, the family will be better equipped with information they need to pursue treatments, if needed. The family originally requested a loan to test four of the children, but in the hopes that the loan will be fulfilled more quickly if it is a lesser amount, they have decided to get Megan and Karen tested first.

Their mom, Shelly, writes, "Karen is 8, and very smart. She is apparently neurotypical. She was diagnosed with JRA [juvenile rheumatoid arthritis] and uveitis at age 6. She has been on homeopathic remedies from the naturopath, probiotics, antivirals, acupuncture, chinese herbs, supplements, curcumin, allergy shots, allergy drops from the naturopath, rebirthing for birth trauma resolution, proteolytic enzymes, porters milk cure diet, IGG food allergy testing, a diet of 8 foods ramping up to 30, and is possible celiac per a gastro specialist. She was negative on her lymes test from the hospital but we think she has lymes, and this test would prove it and allow me to pursue treatment for lymes and not get into a hassle with her rheumatologist or opthomologist. She is 2 1/2 years inflammation-free and off all steroids as well as NOT on Nsaids or immunosuppressors like 99% of all of the other kids with uveitis.

Megan is 15 years old with Aspergers, central auditory processing disorder, dyslexia, insomnia, headaches, and fatigue. She tested positive for mercury and lead on her hair test. She has been made sick by almost every biomedical treatment we have tried, and her adrenal cortisol test revealed that she makes almost no cortisol (only one time a day, in the evening, it reaches a 3, but the rest of the day, nothing). Attempts we've made with chelators have failed because of the adrenal problem. She has adverse reactions to the sauna [used for therapeutic purposes]. She has fevers, chills, weakness, and brain symptoms. She has been going to a naturopath for a year, and we still have not been able to see any improvement because so far everything we try, fails. Megan is a beautiful girl but has a difficult time keeping her energy up and becomes weak often. She loves playing video games. We would like to get the IGeneX test for lymes induced autism. Her older brother regressed between ages 10 and 14 into autism, and we fear she will continue a downward spiral to regression also if we do not do something."

Special Note: Shelly also writes, "Their 20 year old older brother Shawn made a full recovery from doing Andy Cutler chelation for 8 months; three months into treatment he was showing amazing gains. During biomedical treatment his OCD fear of bathing and leaving the house went away, as did his insomnia, headaches, and nausea. His eye contact and socialization went through the roof, he learned basic life skills, and he was then able to learn to drive and attend college and held down a job. He discontinued treatment early after 8 months, and two and a half years later is experiencing regression but he is no longer living at home. He is no longer well enough to attend college or have a job. We would like for him to move home so that we could take care of him."

Reference Provided By: Dana, Anna C, and Judith Weeg (President of the Lyme Disease United Coaltion. The Coalition's website is not up yet, but Judith refers people to THIS WEBSITE).

Karen and Megan's Community of Lenders:

Karen S: $50 ["So glad to see them getting Igenex testing, know that even Igenex can have false negatives, but is a much better test than standard labs. If they can get the kids to a LLMD (lyme literate doc), to be assessed for co-infections as well, that would be a good goal after the initial testing. Best of luck to the family, lyme is a very rough road."]
Cara: $10
Noel: $25
Grandma Gini: $15 ["I like helping sisters."] Note this loan was made outside of ChipIn, so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $15.
Sean: $10
Cathleen: $50
Karen F: $5
Liz (Dazmen's mom): $4 Note: This loan was made outside of ChipIn so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $4.
Karen F (again): $5 [Re-loaned from Jordan's repaid loan] Note: This loan was made outside of ChipIn so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $5.
Bonnie: $5
Petra: $20 [Re-loaned from Jordan's repaid loan]
Henry: $20
Kristina (Jordan's mom): $10
Karen F (again): $5 ["Early Cinco de Linco"]
Tori: $5 ["Cinco de Linco"]
Jan: $25 ["Cinco de Linco"]
Jeanne: ["Cinco de Linco"]
Petra (again): $10 ["Happy Cinco de Linco"]
Heather (Brock's mom): $5 [Note: This loan was made outside of ChipIn so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $5]
Jennifer: $25
Jeanne (again): $10
Jan (again): $50 ["For Jeanne & Petra's challenge"]
Karen F (again): $10 ["Petra's challenge"]
Jennifer P: $10
Cara: $5 [Note: This loan was made outside if ChipIn so the ChipIn goal amount has been reduced by $5]
Petra (again): $50 ["Fulfilling on my pledge.. I know the universe will respond in kind and contribute the remainder.."]
Michlyn: $45
Karen S (again): $10
Dana C: $21

UPDATES - UPDATES - UPDATES

June 13, 2009: This loan has been fully funded!

June 14, 2009: Promissory note sent to Shelly for signature.

June 19, 2009: Signed promissory note received.

June 19, 2009: Loan of $520 sent to Shelly via PayPal. This loan will be due in one lump sum by February 28, 2010.

June 20, 2009: PayPal was charging a fee for the loan because Shelly has a business account, so she denied the payment, and I sent the loan to her via check in Priority Mail.

September 17, 2009: Update from Shelly: "My family was very skeptical that our children could have lyme disease induced autism. Lend4Health helped me get a loan to get two of our daughters tested. When both daughters' lyme disease tests turned up positive, I got the blessing to begin treating them for lyme. Since beginning treatment for lyme, our entire life has changed for the better, we have a new outlook, and understanding of the symptoms and the causes, and a new road ahead towards recovery. Thank You Lend4Health!"

December 22, 2009: Update from Shelly: "Karen and Megan tested positive for Lyme Disease through testing done with a loan from Lend4Health. We did some initial treatment for Lyme since then, but found that we don't have enough die-off "moppers" and supportive herbs to support our detox pathways enough to begin killing off lyme as fast as we had hoped. We are now waiting until we get our tax refund to pay off our Lend4Health loan, then try to get another loan next year to pay for herbs and supplements for the treatment of the Lyme Disease. The girls' Naturopath moved, and the new Naturopath we feel, doesn't really know how or want to help them with Lyme Disease. We are hoping to attend the Lyme Induced Autism conference in California in April 2010 as a family so that the children can get a feel for all of the treatment options and take an active role in their health. We are so thankful to Lend4Health and all of our lenders for taking away the question of "Is it Lyme Disease or not?" That was a huge thing to be able to accept the diagnosis and then to make a plan together for how do deal with Lyme Disease. We also plan to find a Lyme Disease Specialist for Karen who is experienced in dealing with children with Lyme and uveitis but also familiar with herbs and biomed and form a specific treatment plan for her in 2010. We would like to thank all of our Lend4Health Lenders for making the girls' Lyme Diagnosis possible by lending us the money for their IGENEX tests. Merry Christmas Everyone!!"

March 1, 2010: Lump-sum repayment of $520 received, on-time. This loan has been repaid in full!

March 5, 2010: All 20 lenders have been sent their repayments via PayPal.