Courage: Introducing the Watsons

Courage. It’s a word I don't hear much these days. Maybe on the news to describe some heroic action carried out by a member of the armed forces in some far off country; perhaps to describe people who live their lives in the face of adversity and in conditions that are far from ideal. It’s a family in this latter category that I want to introduce over the next few paragraphs.

The Watsons are a family who live in Colorado. Steve and Deana live with their two children - Abbey and Max. All sounds pretty ordinary, except Max is no ordinary little boy. Max is eight years old and was born with an exceptionally rare metabolic disorder. On top of this, when he was a baby he also suffered from another condition that caused him to have up to 250 neurological seizures each day! You can read more about Max’s background here: http://www.maxwatson.org/p/story.html

For more than five years, we have got to know the Watsons and have really been drawn to them and their story. Both Deana and Steve are very open about life with Max and the challenges that his condition brings on a day to day basis. But the one thing that strikes me on a continual basis is the sheer love they have for Max. From the very beginning of his life, even when doctors were ready to give up, they have fought for him. And even when Max recently started school, though he can’t actually physically attend school, it has been amazing to see the lengths that his parents go to in order to make it as normal for him as possible while still providing the specialised education that Max requires.

I can’t retell his whole story here, so I would encourage you to visit the website at www.maxwatson.org or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/maxwatsontrust.  It might possibly reduce you to tears. Deana and Steve keep this update this blog regularly and provide an honest insight into their lives. 

Needless to say, providing Max with his care and education at home brings with it lots of additional costs. Max's annual medical expenses routinely exceed $100,000 per year. In some years, Max's medical expenses have exceeded $1.5 million dollars. Most of this is covered by private medical insurance and state aid in the US. While I don’t pretend to understand the medical insurance situation in the US, this is still not enough to cover all the costs. Typically, the Watsons have to pay over $1000 per month for ongoing medical expenses not covered by medical insurance.

Max’s parents have set up a Trust for him so that people can donate money and help to support his medical and personal needs. Due to the way things are set up in the US, this Trust cannot be registered as a charitable organisation. However, all proceeds are overseen by a non-family Trustee who is responsible for the keeping the accounts and expenditures in order. Anyone can freely give by going to the website at http://www.maxwatson.org/p/contribute.html. 

So that’s my quick and brief introduction to the Watsons! Please feel free to follow them on Facebook and keep up with the blog. Steve and Deana would I’m sure be delighted to answer any questions you might have for them.

I’ll write more soon to explain the need for the intro to the Watsons…