Introduction to the Glasser Family

I’d like to take a little of your time to talk to you about Scott and Amy Glasser and their two children Madelin (Maddie), 8 and David, 6, who reside in Scotia NY. I have known Scott for more than 8 years. Scott worked for me at Colwell & Salmon Communications ( a Marketing Communications company, in Albany NY) in the IS, (Information Services) department.

In July, 2008, in an effort to give his family a better life, Scott decided to chase his dream of owning his own business and started a Web Design & Services company. Although Scott is a very talented, skilled and hard working Web Designer and Web Applications Developer, ( I’m one of his clients) the economic climate quickly deteriorated to a point were it had become very difficult for him to stay afloat…further compounding the issue is Amy’s inability to work due to David being a special needs child. As a result, days away from having their home foreclosed on, they were forced to file bankruptcy. Now, even though they have filed for bankruptcy they still have all the debt and must pay it through a court arranged monthly payment. They can not miss any payments as their bank has made it clear that they will take the house…even though they owe more on it than it’s worth.

Scott, has now taken a job with another Web Design firm but it is part time (the best he can do right now given the economy) and at a reduced hourly rate. He is also continuing to keep his business (and dream) going and works on his clients projects (when he has client work) during the hours he’s not working at the other firm. Scott works a tremendous amount of hours, cobbling together whatever opportunities he can to make money…including helping park cars at a funeral home for extra cash.

Scott and Amy are wonderful people and great parents. In all the years I have known Scott, I have known him to be kind, caring and willing to help anyone at any time with anything. He is a gentle, family man. This is a proud loving family that has endured financial and emotional struggles for several years…this economy has just made them worse. Seeing this and wanting to help in some way I asked Scott and Amy to please consider telling their story to friends and strangers alike in an effort to hopefully provide some financial help during this difficult time. It took a little convincing but Scott and Amy have agreed to share with you more about them, their family and their situation.

-Wayne Colwell

The Glassers

Hi. We are the Glasser Family. Scott, Amy, Madelin, and David. Dad, Mom, sister and brother...sounds like your average American family. Scott owns his own business. Amy is a homemaker. Maddie, age 8, enjoys school, music, playing and reading. David, age 6, loves school, playing with his toys and drums and finding new ways to get into trouble around the house. Thats what people who don't know us see. The real story is that we are not typical.

While we have been blessed with two beautiful children, we have suffered financially and emotionally after the birth of our son. Our little David was born with a rare chromosomal abnormality. It is named an unbalanced translocation of the 8th and 10th chromosome. After he was born David was sent to Albany Medical Center's NICU. While he was there the doctors determined that david has a heart murmur, low oxygen levels, undescended testicles, and other minor annomilies. David was sent home after only 8 days leaving us with many, many questions. Questions like "Why is this happening to us?" and "How does this happen after a normal pregnancy?" Within his first year of life David was diagnosed with his condition. We have learned that he will be physically and mentally disabled for life. In 6 years he has had 7 surgeries. He is non-verbal, and is slowly learing to communicate with simple sign language and picture symbols. David also needs glasses to correct strabismus (lazy eye). He has 8 specialists that he sees regularly. As parents we provide everything we can for our children. David's medical needs are extensive, leaving Amy unable to work outside of our home. In more recent years, David was diagnosed with a seizure disorder, similar to epilesy. He is currently taking 2 prescriptions to control his seizures. Thankfully, David has not had a seizure since the spring. He is also on medication for acid reflux. David has many oral motor issues, and can't tolerate all types of solid foods. When he is healthy, David attends school where he receives physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and music therapy on a weekly basis. He has a wonderful team of teachers, aids and therapists. While most 6 years old boys have bikes and footballs and cleats, our son has a posterior walker, adaptive stroller, a pediatric helmet and foot/ankle orthotics. David has a high pain threshold and doesn't know when he is doing something that can hurt him. He wears his helmet and orthotics everyday. The braces support his feet and legs while he is standing. We don't imagine that they are comfortable but is just one more thing that David deals with. There is no sign that David will be toilet trained. Changing diapers at this point in our lives in not something we imagined. David requires constant care. His highchair is bolted to the floor because he rocks it to the point that it almost flipped over. We use several safety gates to keep David out of certain areas at home. At the end of the day we thought he was safe in his crib. That was until he starting climbing and falling out of it. We were able to modify his crib temporarily.We pay our health insurance out of pocket and David has Medicaid which is supposed to help with the building medical debt. We have been denied a safe bed, and communication system, and a second walker for our child. Family and friends helped out in building a twin size bed with high walls and a door that latches. It looks like a pirate ship with port holes! As far as communication, we are doing our best to interpret his differents cries and facial expressions. We had arranged our furniture in a way that allows David to walk through the house while holding onto things.

Our saving grace is that David doesn't know that his life is different. Maddie on the other hand is starting to ask questions about David that are difficult to answer. She has witnessed seizures where ambulances were needed. She has been back and forth to grandparents houses when David needed hospitalization. She has missed out on children's parties and after school activities because her brother had doctor appointments. Financially it is very difficult to take part in fun things. We are always trying to plan for the next doctor bill and prescription co-pay. Maddie is starting to notice how her peers treat children with disabilities. Our daughter is a loving caring 8 year old who wants the best for her little brother. While David was receiving home-based therapy and services, she was right there "helping the therapists" and learning sign language. Today she treats David like a typical little brother. He is NOT allowed in her room without permission. They wrestle, fight, and compete for attention.

It's not a typical life, but it's our life.

-Scott and Amy Glasser