Princeton Family Fundraising For Son's $465K Autism Treatment

Princeton, NJ -- A Princeton family is asking for help in their effort to help their autistic son get much-needed help that comes with a hefty price tag.

Laura Morgan has set up a GoFundMe drive to help pay for a 4-6 month stay at Baltimore-based Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Neurobehavioral Unit for her 14-year-old Jackson, who suffers from what she describes as “extreme self injurious behavior, aggression and property destruction on an hourly basis.”

The average four-month stay costs about $465,000. After insurance coverage, Morgan would be responsible for about $139,500.

As of Thursday morning, the “Please Help Us Save Jack’s Life” GoFundMe page had raised almost $40,000.

“The behaviors are so extreme that Jackson is unable to eat and has lost significant weight, has had to be hospitalized multiple times with countless trips to the emergency room ( which has resulted in the staff at the ER asking me not to bring him back again because there is nothing more they can do),” Laura Morgan says in the post. “As a result of these behaviors he has had bleeding from his bladder, black eyes , balding on his head where he has punched himself repeatedly and many other injuries. He hits himself hundreds of times per day despite everyone's best efforts to prevent these occurrences.”

The story gets worse.

Jackson’s younger brother also has autism, and in 2014, Morgan’s husband lost his job and the family lost their house while they were trying to handle all the medical expenses, Morgan said.

Morgan has hope that KKI can help save her son’s life, but says he can’t be admitted until they know the family can pay them. He has been on the waiting list for two years, and is in danger of losing his spot.
KKI has a track record of reducing this behavior by about 80 percent, Morgan said.

“They are considered to be the top experts in the country for dealing with self injurious behaviors,” Morgan says. “Our family is desperate.”

To contribute to the “Please Help Us Save Jack’s Life” GoFundMe page, click here.

The attached image was posted on the “Please Help Us Save Jack’s Life” GoFundMe page.