<p>D had to take medical leave late in the semester last year, so we lost the semesters tuition. But shes recovered now and is headed back to her LAC and we couldnt be happier for her. Paying our EFC isnt easy but it is doable and theres nothing we would rather spend our money on. But…our 13 year old son has been diagnosed as growth hormone deficient and will not grow beyond his current 4 feet 7 inches without daily injections of growth hormone. Which is not covered by insurance and will cost somewhere between $10,000 and $30,000 per year. The drug company offers patient assistance on a sliding scale depending on gross income. On paper we look like we should be able to pay our fair share for the drug, but theres no place to mention the $22,500 tuition per year. </p>
<p>We are committed to doing whatever it takes (tap into home equity, of which we have some but not a huge amount, etc.) to keep the one kid in school and the other one growing. I guess Im only looking for a little sympathy from the CC communityif I whine about this to friends or family it will sound like Im looking for a hand-out. </p>
<p>On the bright side, I cant wait to see my s grow out of his clotheshes been wearing the same pant size since 5th grade!</p>
<p>That’s pretty weird that there’s no place to mention “other expenses,” like college, but maybe there’s some policy involved. I would call the company and ask them about your situation.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear about your situation. You’ll need to document your situation for both the drug company and the school and see what happens. Don’t let a computer formula put you off or decide that’s it. You just need your situation reviewed by a yes or no person. A yes or no person is an actual decision maker. At the first level, most people are just no people. They only have the power of “no”. They can’t say yes even if they wanted to. Look into both situations and find the decision makers.</p>
<p>Wellspring, the growth hormone is worth every penny. I’d be very surprised if the pharmaceutical company would not consider D’s tuition. Contact them. </p>
<p>I hope it doesn’t come to this, but school could be postponed if needed. Your son’s medical needs cannot. I wish you well & hope this is happliy resolved.</p>
<p>I am sure there are support groups for families with this situation and they would have some great ideas</p>
<p>Lovely that this isn’t covered by insurance, but other stuff is…argh</p>
<p>you totally have my sympathy and vent away</p>
<p>but maybe use that anger and energy to contact other groups, organizations etc to get some help from those that have been there</p>
<p>good luck, and maybe contact the college with this new information about expenses and maybe their $$ might get looked at again, can’t hurt to ask</p>
<p>WELLSPRING - you may also want to contact the finaicial aid office of the school your gal is attending - change of circumstances for financial reasons - it may help your gal to qualify for increased financial aid.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your kind words! Sorry if I sounded angry–I’m not, just frustrated. It’s interesting that the process of procuring the drug is a lot like the college application process–there’s so much you don’t know about how it works, and you have to feel your way. The insurance says one thing, the doctor’s office says something a little different, the drug company weighs in with a third take on it. Someday maybe I’ll be as knowledgeable about this as I am about college apps and I’ll be in a position to help the next family!</p>
<p>We went through the growth-hormone treatment with one daughter. Fortunately, our insurance covered most of it, because it cost $30,000 per year. The insurance company cut off coverage at 15, with an arbitrary finding that she had achieved her potential based only on chronological age (no bone-age x-ray or doc recommendation was considered). Fortunately, she had reached a height that looked “normal” for our family, because it would have been difficult to afford it with college costs looming for D#1.</p>
<p>Someone pointed out revising your college fin. aid docs to reflect the expense. This may be the way to go if the drug companies won’t consider tuition. I recall there being a section for unusual financial circumstances on the financial aid form I filled out.</p>
<p>The growth hormone treatment worked great for my daughter. She grew 2 1/2 inches per year on it, which is average for a normal child. I am so grateful it was available, when I think how she would still be 4’ 10’ at age 16 if we hadn’t followed this through.</p>
<p>The shots are a hassle, and sometimes you/your child will just want to give it up, but its more than worth it in the end. Good luck to you and your son!</p>
<p>Just saw post #11 and want to agree that there is absolutely nothing wrong with a 5’ girl! One thing I learned in this process is that supposedly a height of 4’11" and above is a normal adult height. People less than 4’11 will always look childlike.</p>
<p>hey, I wasn’t dissing being short, I am short, so is my other D</p>
<p>When my D was growing up, she was Under the growth chart, like not on it for most of her life, guess you would say a “negative” percentile, so we monitored her, because other issues are involved with not having enough growth hormone, not just height</p>
<p>my H is probably the shortest guy in our circle of acquantenances and friends, is he is by far the most popular</p>
<p>Our daughter was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency at the age of 2 and took the shots from that age until 15/16. She reached 5’4" which is taller than her mom. :)</p>
<p>The artificial growth hormone,pediatric endocrinologist appts, and all necessary tests were covered by medical insurance. We paid nothing except our annual deductible.</p>
<p>I like the options of contacting a real person at the drug company as well as the idea of approaching the college fin aid due to changed circumstances (this seems like it’d be a sure change but it might just result in more loans). Have you tried escalating within your insurance company? Maybe there’s a way they’ll cover it if pushed.</p>
<p>Also, have you checked into changing insurance companies or checking out some HMOs? I was surprised when a friend of mine was able to get his mother signed up for Kaiser even though she had a pre-existing condition of cancer that required immediate full treatment. The cost really wasn’t that high either.</p>
<p>aikomidori: You might not appreciate looking young now, but when you are my age, you’ll be thrilled. And no, I didn’t believe it when people told me that back then either.</p>
<p>I was thinking along the same lines as uc-dad. </p>
<p>Do you have the option to change medical plans during an upcoming open enrollment period (assumes your insurance is employer-based)? If so, you might be able to obtain coverage effective Jan 1.</p>
<p>I agree with many other posters that you should try to contact whoever you’re supposed to contact (if you even know!) and explain about college costs. Then I think you should turn around and change your financial aid to reflect this medical expense–add it under an additional information section, if possible. Finally, I agree that it’s more important right now to pay for the growth hormone. A woman can get away with being under 5’; a man cannot. That would be very difficult for him throughout his life, as I’m sure you recognize. If needed, I think your daughter should consider finding a school that is less expensive or provides more aid or scholarships. She should also look for outside college scholarships.</p>