Updated 4/6/21 - Although we launched this campaign last year, all our plans came to an abrupt halt due to coronavirus. Now, thank G-d, Eli is slated to enter the program tomorrow!!! Thus, per the updated below, we are once again asking for your kind assistance.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much in advance for taking the time to read this!

Eli is a fun and smart 16-year-old boy who loves reading, is a big sports fan (go NY GIANTS!), and has a great sense of humor! He has unfortunately been dealing with a debilitating illness which has prevented him from attending school or even leaving the house for months at a time. Eli has severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (“OCD”). This disease which is known by three simple letters, is much bigger and more complex than we originally imagined. OCD is a mental health disorder that affects people of all ages and walks of life, and occurs when a person gets caught in a cycle of obsessions and compulsions.

Eli has been affected in so many ways by his OCD. Recent years have been especially difficult for him. He has been unable to attend school and did not leave the house for many months. He was unable to wear clothing due to the severity of his OCD-focused sensory disorder. He would also constantly feel like there were "cobwebs" everywhere and wouldn’t want to leave his room. At times he wouldn’t eat or drink because he would have a full panic attack thinking that he might have consumed an insect! There are many other examples of Eli’s OCD but the previous examples provide a window into his struggle with the disorder.

Eli was also subsequently diagnosed with Lyme disease as well as PANDAS, both diagnoses further complicating the issues he is facing. He has threatened self-harm several times, and because of the mental and physical health issues Eli faced, he has had to go on special medication via a PICC line three-times-a-week for six months.

After months of struggling and various failed treatments, it was recommended by Eli’s doctor for him to apply to the McLean OCD Institute in Boston, MA to attend their exclusive program. We applied and unfortunately, Eli was rejected due to the severity of his situation and his emotional unpreparedness for such a program. After rigorous therapy and treatments over the course of a year-and-a-half, Eli persevered and is NOW in an appropriate state to attend the program.

I’m so HAPPY to say that Eli was accepted into the highly sought-after program at the McLean OCD Institute, and is scheduled to begin there Wednesday, 4/7/21!!!! This program provides the resources and care that Eli needs to truly give him the chance to learn to appropriately deal with his OCD. You can read more about their wonderful in-patient program in this link: (https://bdd.iocdf.org/clinics/mclean-ocd-institute-for-children-and-adolescents-ocdi-jr/")

Here is where we ask for your help.

Now that Eli Has reached the point where he is ready to attend and has been accepted, we want to do EVERYTHING we can to help make his attendance in this program a possibility!!! As you may imagine, the program is intensive AND expensive. Please consider donating anything you can to help our wonderful Eli get the treatment he so desperately needs and deserves!

All donations are tax deductible!