Help Out A Local Family Dealing With Disease
PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio1020 KDKA) - The new craze in getting a project funded isn't finding one big investor but multiple smaller ones who want to donate money to your cause. The Internet plays a huge role in helping people bring their ideas to life.
Most of the websites are for profit, so they do not fund charity projects; however, we found one website that is helping a local family fund their medical bills.
GoFundMe.com is a website that will allow people with specific needs to go online and put their story out there with the option for people to make a donation to help them out.
Amanda Butler and her family are some of the people that are benefiting from the crowdfunding website. She talked with Bill Rehkopf on the KDKA Afternoon News about her and her children's Mitochondrial disease.
"We were diagnosed back in 2008, the whole family was hit at one time. It's an energy disorder; well, it's more a neurological disorder," Butler said.
Mitochondrial disease can be confusing because the effects of it can vary so greatly in those who suffer from it. It is a group of disorders that are caused by dysfunctioning Mitochondria, their job is convert the energy from food to power most cell functions.
The Butler family moved to Pittsburgh from Georgia to be closer to their doctors at Children's Hospital after Amanda's husband lost his job. Since the move, he has had a rough time trying to keep employment and benefits for his families healthcare.
"He had a steady job and everything was looking up for us, we were leaning his boss's house and then he got laid off a month ago and we still haven't got unemployment," Said Butler.
Butler told Bill that her old insurance covered everything 100 percent, but now that they have co-pays; and with three family members suffering from the disease, it really adds up so she looked into GoFundMe. She said it was the best fit for her and her family because the amount the website takes is so little of the money raised.
Raising money to help with her family's medical bills isn't her own goal.
"I really want to spread more awareness of Mitochondrial disease. It's not really known about is the biggest thing, more people pass away and it's just as common as childhood cancer, and more people pass away from Mitochondrial disease than. There is just a handful of doctors in the U.S. and not many people know about it," said Butler.
Butler wants to see more ads and awareness for this disease that is effecting not only her family but many other families.
If you are interested in helping the Butler family, you can go to: Gofundme.com/6subi4
You can listen to the whole interview here:
You can also listen to the KDKA Afternoon News with Bill Rehkopf weekdays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
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