It has not been easy for 3-year-old Ellie Alvarez. Ellie experienced a traumatic birth injury that deprived her of oxygen and was transferred immediately to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles where she was diagnosed with a brain injury and other medical conditions that included feeding difficulties and a severe mouth aversion.
Ellie has made significant progress since enrolling in Partners Home and Community-Based Alternatives (HCBA) Waiver Program in 2020. She receives full-time care from her mother with support from a Partners’ Social Worker and Registered Nurse. Ellie requires occupational therapy and speech therapy. Therapy tools are slowly introduced to her to strengthen her suspected weakened mouth muscle and reduce her dependency on her G-tube.
Despite all the excellent care and resources available to Ellie and her family through our HCBA program, there are many essentials recommended by her therapists that are not covered by insurance. To fill in some of the gaps, Partners used our Special Needs Fund to purchase mouth and tongue tools to aid with Ellie’s oral development and a Montessori toy for toddler sensory development.
Ellie’s family extends their thanks for the opportunity to meet Ellie’s primary needs. They report that having the ability to continue to improve Ellie’s aversion and mouth muscle exercises with the therapy tools and fun straws has been beyond helpful. Ellie’s mother states, “Thank you for allowing my sweet girl to continue to try and reach her full potential.”
You can help others like Ellie by donating today to Partner’s Special Needs Fund. Click Here to Donate and Learn More About Partners’ Services.
