This my 15 month old son, Elliot, who is sitting up and holding a ball…two things he would likely not be doing without the physical and occupational therapy he receives twice a week. He was born 3 months prematurely and suffered grade III and IV brain bleeds, damage associated with motor impairments and, very often, cerebral palsy. He also developed hydrocephalus from the bleeds, has a shunt, and with no cure, will always have a shunt. Elliot cannot sit like this long, but we are working on it with our wonderful therapists. Elliot cannot crawl, pull up, stand or walk yet (all typical for a one year old or younger) and with his brain damage, these are all things we were told he may never do. Early intervention has been key for Elliot’s progress and is having a huge impact on what he’ll be able to do in the future.

TEFRA is a wonderful program for so many reasons, but best of all, it isn’t a “hand out”; we pay premiums based on income. Without this coverage, our family would have been in medical bankruptcy before we were discharged from the NICU.