Appeals Department
United Healthcare
P.O. Box xxxxx
Atlanta, GA xxxxxxxxx
To whom it may concern:
I am writing, begging, that you will reconsider covering Intuniv for my oldest son, Calvin. Calvin is ten years old and was diagnosed with high functioning Autism, (Asperbergers), as well as severe ADHD when he was six years old. My wife Mrs. SLB and I first realized that there was something wrong when he was three. He could not sleep at night. We went to sleep specialists, we read books, we tried everything to get him to be able to sleep. We were told that he was just being defiant and we needed to stand our ground on the rules of bed time. Sometimes we were successful, sometimes we were not.
Shortly thereafter, we noticed other behavior that seemed different. Being parents for the first time everything is new so we weren’t quite sure what was normal and what was abnormal. It was very clear however that Calvin was extremely intelligent. At four years old he learned Excel quick commands and stole passwords to login to our computer by watching. At the same time he was almost terrified to be around other children and only wanted to be in the company of adults.
We were told by his pediatrician that he was too young to test for Autism but that is what she expected may be the issue. We were told about the medications available but his mother, a RN, and myself were vehemently against it. So we read books. We tried every kind of technique available to help Calvin. It seemed to work some of the time but it was apparent that it wasn’t a complete solution. He was a sad little boy. It still breaks my heart the day I talked to his teacher when he was in the first grade and how she told me he always ate lunch by himself. He always sat out on the playground, alone, every day.
As if the lack of sleep and the isolation wasn’t enough, he also had uncontrollable temper tantrums. This wonderful, sweet child, beloved by the teachers and principal at his school would just “go off”. He tipped his desk over one day. He threw a book a month later. I had to leave work early countless amounts of times to pick Calvin up from school early because of episodes like this. It was at the end of his first grade school year that we were told he wouldn’t be able to attend St. Catholic School any longer because they didn’t have trained personnel to properly help him.
Calvin wasn’t aware of his situation at school and his mother and I weren’t sure what we were going to do to help him ourselves. Then one Saturday something happened that I will never forget. He came crying his eyes out to me and said “daddy, please help me. I don’t like feeling this way. You have to help me. Please help me daddy”. Just writing those words is making me cry right now. So we called his doctor and she prescribed medication. I don’t remember exactly what because we tried so many different varieties and dosages for the next year or so.
We knew that medication wasn’t going to be enough though. He needed a school with some special people to help him. We scoured the Internet reading reviews of local schools and how they helped children like Calvin. Of course, the best schools were in districts that we couldn’t afford to move to. So we made the hard decision and moved 32 miles away to (a town with a population of 14,0000), so he could attend (School) Elementary. Far away from our families and friends that we are so close to and had grown accustomed to seeing on almost a daily basis. It was, and still is, extremely difficult as all of us miss seeing the ones we love.
After more than a year of trial and error, we discovered that when Calvin took (drug A) in the morning and (drug B) in the afternoon, it helped him focus and sleep at night. The teachers and principal at (School) also made a profound difference in his life for which I will forever be grateful. Calvin made the honor roll 7 out of 8 quarters in the 3rd and 4th grades once with straight A’s. He was even overwhelmingly elected to Student Council by his classmates.
We’re not out of the woods though. He still has anxiety issues about being around other children at times,but he is happy. Every day he learns a little bit more about himself and how to cope with his situation. So I’m begging you to please not take away his (drug B). The offered substitution, (drug C), isn’t the same thing. Instead of taking one (drug B) in the afternoon, he’ll have to take a lesser dosage of (drug C) two, to possibly four, times a day. His doctor isn’t sure how this will affect him. Even now, with the medication as is, there are some nights where he can’t sleep. He will literally be up all night long.
Thank you for your consideration and please feel free to contact me at 314-xxx-xxxx or at bob@xxxxxxxx.
Sincerely,
SLB
Do the trip. I'm sorry for your loss. I think a lot of people here have been through this and could offer you help if you need it.
but great idea on the vacation. Even something small, but do it.
:( 
