Member Letter: Member Assistance helped our family with three needs

The member assistance funds we received for our 3 needs provided for 47 percent of each of them. This was very encouraging to me and it came at a good time. Medical bills have been the biggest bill in our large family's budget over the years. I am very careful to determine if the treatments are necessary and if so to find the most economical way to get treatments. But with 11 children they still add up. I don't take my children to the eye doctor every year but we don't avoid it either. I've been taking them every three years or if I think there is a problem. It was time to take six of them last year and thankfully they didn't need anything.

This year I discovered my 8-year-old was having trouble seeing. He had been having some mild symptoms for three years, and one of his eyes started becoming "lazy." Fortunately, it is not too late to get that eye working again with glasses. However, I felt bad to think that I should have taken him to the doctor sooner. It would have been much better to spend the money to take him to an eye doctor. You really can be too cheap with medical treatment.

Also this year my 10-year-old twins will need to be checked up on by an orthopedic doctor for curvature of the spine. They are the fifth and sixth of our children who needed that. In addition there are three that will need braces—not merely for appearance but significant bite problems. Besides all this we have taken on the care of my mom and dad. Though they are able to pay their own bills, it takes time and that ends up stretching my budget in various ways. Receiving this assistance was very encouraging to me at a key time. I want to thank all the members who donated generously. It is very kind of you and it means a lot to our family.
Scott & Sara, Ohio