GianRaul

Age 7, New York

Meet GianRaul. His friends call him G-mo! He is well known and loved in school. G-mo loves music, watching movies, playing with his younger brothers, and being held. GianRaul works really hard to hold up his head and communicate with his eye-gaze device. He enjoys being out and interacting with his community. GianRaul has Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy, Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy, Cortical Visual Impairment, development delay, and Asthma. He uses a feeding tube for medicine and nutrition, a tracheostomy to breathe and a wheelchair to get around. He needs 24-hour nursing coverage and other medical equipment.

GianRaul’s mom Denise says: “In short, my son would die if he were to lose Medicaid coverage or the protections of the ACA. Private insurances refuse to pay for nursing care. Private insurance will only cover part of a wheelchair - my son needed straps on his wheelchair, would you buy a car without seatbelts? It's crazy the things private insurance deems NOT necessary! For the life of me I don't understand why our government thinks it's ok to NOT protect our children. My child's life matters. I don't understand why our government is sending the message that if you’re disabled your life has less value?!”

Submitted by Denise, GianRaul’s mom.