A loving family of 4 who is fighting for a cure.  Mike and Carmen with their youngest boy, Nicholas, who is a highly functioning child and their oldest son, Luke, who suffers not only from Autism but also Apraxia.  Luke Penker is a beautiful 5 year old boy, touched with a warm and loving heart and a brilliant mind, who struggles with two disorders.  Apraxia is a neurological disorder that effects the motor skills of a facial movement, his being the tongue.  He cannot move his tongue to form and annunciate words though he knows what to say and what is going on around him.  He started out by using grunting noises and pointing to express himself.  

Now he has developed, thru numerous and daily intensive therapies and treatments as well as a gluten-free holistic diet, into a young man who took his mothers by the hand the other day and said to her, ” Mommy, go outside. Com’n we go outside.” Carmen responded, “Luke, why do you want to go outside?” “To sit on step. We wait for Daddy”.  It breaks your heart to know that all the pain and struggle this brilliant , beautiful boy has gone thru to say that.  

Another struggle of Luke’s is with Autism.  Autism is a brain development disorder effecting his ability to interact and socialize.  Autism has many spectrums but all devastatingly difficult for the child to overcome. If a child is not detected by 9 mos. and there is no therapy or treatment started on that child, the chances of “saving” the child is greatly reduced each year.  If the child has not progressed until they reach 6yrs.,  you lose them for good.  They fade away into themselves, their own private silence.  Unless we do something to support this cause we will have thousands of children completely incompacitated because the parents just could not afford the doctor bills so they either delayed the treatment or did nothing at all.

Many families with one or more children with Autism struggle with the extremme hi-cost of these new procedures from doctors who know that they can charge premium costs for services because parents are desperate.   We frankly do not have any respect for those doctors out there is these cities and towns who gauge the parents with charges and fees.  Some doctor visits are $200.00- $250.00.  Imagine?  For maybe a  1/2 hour , at most, with the child.  Do you smell a thief. HMMM?   There are doctors who grossly over-charge for sessions in the hyperbaric chamber, a key procedure to the recovery of the neurological aspect of the child’s recovery.  A simple 1/2 our rest in an oxygen chamber costs families 100.00 and up.   Cut them a break!  It’s only “air” and the machine has been paid for itself 5 times over!!  Better yet, most of the treatments and therapies that an Autistic child needs is un-insurable!!  As far as our helpful insurance companies see it- it is not a physical/medical disorder,therefore, it is not accepted!!!  These policies are killing these children and families with special needs.

THE POLITICAL GREED OF OUR INSURANCE COMPANIES AND SELECT DOCTORS ARE ROBBING THESE FAMILIES OF THEIR CHANCE TO SAVE THEIR CHILD.

Imagine the struggle parents go thru when they face the reality that both parents must work to afford the hi cost in therapies but they also know the necessity that one be home with their children 24/7.  We need to fight to get healthcare insurance for these families.

6 children of 1,000 are afflicted with this disorder and it is 4 x as many boys to girls. The rate has increased substantially since 1986 but actually it could simply be because we are better at detecting it.  

Get educated. Get involved. It’s a children’s epidemic.

Thanks,

ME2 staff