Jody first reached out to Raising Special Kids when her foster child was 6 months old. “He is an absolute angel and we are blessed to have him. He had a brain bleed and has a shunt in his head. He has a g-tube and is visually impaired. AzEIP and the county nurses as well as DDD are involved and will be visiting us in a week or so. What will I need to know?”
By the time the baby in her care reached 4 months, Jody urgently needed help. She was worried because the little boy had been in and out of the hospital many times. He had been on different kinds of formula, but nothing helped and nutritional deficiencies began affecting his development. He was given a diagnosis of failure to thrive.
The doctors ordered a feeding study, but despite appeals from the child’s physicians, the insurance authorization was repeatedly denied. A week before the test, Jody was told that unless authorization was received within three days the hospital would cancel their appointment. Raising Special Kids contacted the child’s insurance company, and with persistent advocacy, the feeding study was approved just in time to keep their appointment.
When the toddler was 2 years old, Jody needed help getting appropriate therapy services. “He had speech therapy and OT every other week but it was not enough and our pediatrician agreed, but we were told, ‘Sorry, we are just short-staffed so this is all you can get.’ Shortly after Raising Special Kids assisted Jody advocate for the child’s needs, additional therapy sessions were added.
Jody and her husband really wanted to adopt the little boy, but their experience showed them how hard it was to get help while he was in state foster care. They didn’t know how they would ever be able to do this on their own. Then Jody realized they have the support they need. “I know Raising Special Kids will be with us every step of the way.”