Helping a young ballerina with spina bifida keep dancing
Thea’s story
As her ballet slippers glide and pirouette across the dance floor, 9-year-old Thea is in her happy place.
“It feels like I’m floating on air, and it feels like nobody is there except me,” she said.
Seeing her daughter do things that at one point, doctors warned she may never be able to do, always leaves her mom in awe.
“I love watching her — watching her from the sidelines. I’m always literally in tears,” said Thea’s mom, Monica. “She’s the best thing that has ever happened to us,” she said.
Thea was born with spina bifida — myelomeningocele — which required surgery the day after she was born. She also has a condition that caused an abnormal amount of fluid in her brain, that needed a surgically implanted device to help regulate the pressure.
“Doctors gave us the worst-case scenarios,” said Thea’s dad, Brandon. “She could have brain damage. She could have spinal damage that meant she couldn’t walk. We went home and basically cried, but we said, ‘Let’s keep going. We can take care of her. We’ll take it a day at a time.’”
In the years that followed, Thea underwent additional surgeries, physical therapy and numerous doctor visits. While Thea was beating the odds and showing her strength each day, the cost of medical expenses became an ongoing stress for the family.
“I felt like this was a lot, whether it was the financial strain or the numerous doctor visits,” Brandon said. “For me, the pressure was whether I could still give us a good life financially.”
With help from the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation (UHCCF), Thea’s family qualified for a grant to help cover the cost of her medical expenses.
“The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation grant helped relieve that financial burden, and it definitely has us breathing easier as a family,” Monica said.
Since 2005, UHCCF has awarded more than 45,000 grants valued at over $90 million. The funding pays for children’s medical expenses not covered, or not fully covered, by a commercial health insurance plan.
“One thing I’ve learned from Thea is to be positive,” Monica said. “I look up to her a lot. I wouldn’t have been able to go through all the things she’s gone through. She’s thriving. She’s happy and doing amazing.”
Thea’s parents are excited to see what her future holds. One of her dreams is to open her own dance studio that welcomes children with disabilities and those without.
“The sign on the studio wall will say, ‘Ballet for everyone,’” Thea said.
Are you eligible?
- Grant recipients must be 16 years old or younger at the time of application
- Must meet eligible income requirements
- Must be children under the care of a licensed medical professional with services rendered within the United States
- Primary coverage for a child must be by a commercial health plan, either through an employer or individually purchased. Secondary insurance through Medicaid or CHIP is permissible.
- Children do not need to be insured by UnitedHealthcare.
Do you know a family who could benefit from a children’s medical grant? The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation is currently accepting grant applications. Visit UHCCF.org for more information on how to apply.
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