Early this summer I began working with a family to get their daughter eligible for services. The little girl, in addition to intellectual problems, has some physical problems that needed immediate attention. Through the application process, I gave the mom a list of various options for getting the physical problems taken care of. The first of September, just as I was getting ready to take Stephanie to Rexburg, I got a call from the mother asking me if I had heard anything about funding for her daughter. Mom proceeded to tell me that her daughter's physical problems were getting worse with each passing day. The resources I gave her were either out of funding or the family did not qualify for them. Private paying was out of the question as the family was already buried under a mountain of medical bills that resulted when one son was mauled by a dog and the other was hit in the eye with a beebee gun. I asked mom to let me think about it while I was gone to Rexburg and told her I would call her back. The whole 10 days of my vacation, I frequently thought of this family but could not come up with any resources. When I returned to work, I saw mom's name on a sticky note on the top of my desk, right where I had left it. Each day I kept thinking, I told this mom I would call her back, but I didn't have any other ideas or thoughts. One morning as I was getting ready for work, I thought of the Shriner's Hospital. I figured mom could at least give them a try, the worse that would happen is they would be denied there. Later that day, I called the mom and gave her my suggestion. I explained I had no information on them but was sure she could find contact information on the internet.
Well, today I heard from mom. The first thing she asked was "are you LDS?" I told her I was and then she asked if she could share a story with me. I told her she could. She explained that the week before I called, her daughter's condition had worsened significantly. All day the day before I called, mom prayed for something to happen, for someone to come up with an idea. The next afternoon, I called. After I suggested Shriner's hospital. Mom, called Grandma who happened to have a doctor for a neighbor. The doctor placed some calls to Shriner's (he knew a doctor who worked there). Shriner's agreed to work with the family. The little girl will get the surgery she needs to correct her physical problems. Mom called to say--thank you.
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