Help my son recover from a life-threatening illness

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United States

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months left

In late August 2024, my 10-year-old son became life-threateningly ill due to a complex combination of COVID, strep throat, an invasive fungal infection in his sinuses, and a newly emerging Type 1 diabetes diagnosis.

He spent 171 days in the hospital and finally came home on Valentine’s Day—a day I feared might never come. During his hospitalization, he underwent over 20 surgeries, losing a substantial portion of his cheek’s soft tissue and bone to necrosis. For a month, he traveled 3–4 days a week to another hospital for hyperbaric treatments to slow the fungal infection and aid healing. He also began an experimental treatment around week 11/12 in a desperate fight against the infection.

During those six months, I was only away from him for seven days. Thanks to my incredible workplace, coworkers, students, and their families, I was able to stay by his side—to advocate for him, comfort him, and fight alongside him.

This journey isn’t over.

Since his discharge, I’ve been balancing countless doctor’s appointments, recovery care, and planning for future reconstructive surgeries. I have already missed over 50 days of work and have yet to return to my full-time hours. While insurance has helped, the remaining medical expenses are overwhelming, especially with ongoing treatments and surgeries planned for the next 16 years.

I’m asking for help. Any amount, even just a few dollars, would make a huge difference in helping me cover these bills while ensuring I can continue to prioritize my son’s health and healing.

Through this unimaginably difficult time, my local community has lifted us up and supported us. I am forever grateful. If you can donate, share, or support in any way, it means the world to me and my son.

Thank you

My son has returned to in-person school! He’s settling into his first full week. It’s day 4 of school & this will be his 3rd doctor appointment during school hours.

Opthalmology has been treating his eye for a viral infection with 2 medicated eye drops & one medicated eye gel with an antiviral oral medication.

The biggest problems of this first week of school has been waiting on his refill being held up by insurance prior authorization since Friday. The fax machine at school also isn’t working. The endocrinologist team has been working to get all of his forms corrected for his current carb ratio & correction factor.

Today I sign off, with my son’s consent, on paperwork to allow the hospital to address his medical journey at their “townhall” meetings where they discuss & celebrate a complex multidisciplinary illness of a patient that has recovered! While he’s not officially considered fully recovered until the experimental medication ends in October, we’ve been celebrating a clean MRI!!! His brain is back to normal on scans!

I only have next month’s payment saved before I hit the end of my savings. I am hopeful that this update will find more financial support from those of you who have donated in the past. Thank you for helping my son heal!

In November in Oklahoma City there will be a benefit concert at the venerable & best listening room in OKC, The Blue Door. I will update the lineup of my fellow musicians once I’ve finalized the with the most gracious Carter Sampson.

Expect more updates & thank you for helping support us in our greatest time of need.

Hello all! Thank you so much for donating!

My son was able to celebrate his 11th birthday in late May. He was so happy to see some of his friends in person, especially because he must be very careful with potential outside contagions.

While my son has been at home healing since mid-February he still requires to see multiple specialist monthly, some every 2 weeks.

He’s developed a problem with his left eye that the opthalmologists believe to be a tear duct issue. This could be from the surgical antifungal injections used to prevent the loss of the entire eye. More follows ups are needed to monitor it.

Some weeks he has up to 4 appointments which makes it harder for me to pick up extra hours teaching or working audio gigs.

Overall he’s doing well but while we’ve waited 2 months for his much needed MRI, his infectious disease doctor is becoming increasingly concerned about his eye. The children’s hospital is extremely limited on outpatient imaging so it remains a waiting game for his next MRI to show if he is out of the woods from further complications to his brain & brain lining.

Labs & testing are showing better kidney levels that are stabilizing, finally.

I had hoped picking up extra work in late May into June would help but unfortunately all the extra work I put into was immediately lost due to his insurance lapsing (3 months early) & me having to pay for 3 weeks of medications & appointments out of pocket. That was all of his 90 days refills, his insulin, his new medicines for his eye, & 12 appointments. That equalled 2 months of payment plans to the hospital.

While I continue to work as much as his medical care will allow more assistance in paying down his hospital bills would be greatly appreciated. I need to make sure everything is paid by his next surgery (August or September of 2026) so I can begin paying those new out ofpocket copays & expenses.

July is one of the best & hardest months for me as I take a week off teaching to be lead floating instructor to ~60 rock & roll camp for girls students campers. This is year 11 for us at camp where we empower young children with music, art, & self confidence. Thankfully I won’t lose out on pay because I spend the entire month doubling up on regular student lessons to allow for the time away.

I will attempt to update more frequently.

Thank you for your continued support!

Phyllis Sanders

8 days ago

$25

Helen Grant

10 days ago

$50

Annie mccutchen

11 days ago

$25

Anonymous

11 days ago

$25

Chanel Fielder

11 days ago

$50

Deanna Andrews

4 weeks ago

$25

Anonymous

6 weeks ago

$25

Zoe Elrod

7 weeks ago

$50

Marian Hulsey

2 months ago

$50

Anonymous

2 months ago

$30

Caleb Croy

3 months ago

$25

Brent Bugg

3 months ago

$25

Jamie Caves

3 months ago

$100

Annie mccutchen

3 months ago

$25

Tammy Graham

3 months ago

$25

Anonymous

3 months ago

$60

Kristina Marek

5 months ago

$100

Anonymous

5 months ago

$100

Anonymous

5 months ago

$20

Anonymous

5 months ago

$100

Ends in 4 months

30 Dec 2025, 6:19pm

Kristen Autrey