The Greenwell Family

Dear Help Me Bounce Team,

I am writing on behalf of the Greenwell family to share our story and seek your assistance during this challenging time. Our 4-year-old son, Everett, is the light of our lives.  Despite being non-verbal, autistic, and epileptic, his smile brightens anyone’s day, and his efforts to try to say new words are truly heartwarming.  With a lot of hard work through ABA therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and countless neurology appointments Everett successfully graduated special education and will be put in general education next school year.  However, the stipulation was that Everett significantly decrease eloping and other behaviors by the start of the new school year.  To meet this goal Everett needs to attend ABA therapy full time during summer.  Unfortunately, over the past two years, we have faced significant financial hardships and a new diagnosis of epilepsy that have made it incredibly difficult to keep our heads above water and continue taking our son to therapy.

My husband, Kyle, served proudly in the Navy for over a decade. However, after his separation from service, he struggled to find stable employment. Despite applying for hundreds of jobs, no opportunities came his way. This led to mounting debt and bills that quickly became overwhelming. Eventually, Kyle took a job at a local fast food restaurant, but the pay was insufficient to cover our basic needs.

After four months, Kyle was fortunate to secure a stable, better-paying position at USAA. This job has allowed us to cover our monthly necessities and start addressing our debts. However, we are still far from financial stability. Our biggest financial burden is our mortgage, which costs approximately $1,300 per month. Additionally, we purchased a family vehicle, a Highlander SUV, shortly before Kyle left the Navy. Unfortunately, due to high interest rates and the vehicle’s depreciation, we now owe much more than its current value, with payments and insurance totaling nearly $1,000 per month.

Given these financial pressures, we are struggling to make ends meet. Selling the vehicle would be an ideal solution, but our credit has suffered due to unemployment and late bills, making refinancing or selling impossible. Our situation is further complicated by the needs of our 4-year-old son, Everett, who requires constant care. Everett is non-verbal, autistic, and epileptic, necessitating my full-time attention and care as his mother.  Because my son is nonverbal he is unable to communicate with me when he is about to have a seizure— making it necessary that I be readily available to rescue him and take him to an emergency room.  Despite these challenges, Everett is making progress, slowly becoming more verbal thanks to our dedication and his endurance.  Please help us achieve the dream I had for my son when he was still in my womb: a real shot at living an independent and fruitful life filled with success, friendships, and love.