Kingsburg 2-year-old closer to getting wheelchair after being initially denied by insurance
KINGSBURG, Calif. (KFSN) -- Donations to help a two-year-old Kingsburg boy get a wheelchair have now more than quadrupled since Action News first aired a story on Crue Allred, who was denied a wheelchair by his insurance company. Crue is paralyzed from the waist down.
Crue Allred, 2, speeds as fast as he can in his small, wheeled chair. His parents know it's time for him to get a new wheelchair that fits him properly but when they reached out to their insurance company, Anthem Blue Cross, their claim was denied, saying they haven't received enough documentation to show that he needs a wheelchair.
Aubrey Allred, Crue's mother, says "They say to try when he's five and there's no guarantee." Crue was born with Spina Bifida and is paralyzed from the waist down. We first aired Crue's story on Wednesday and Aubrey Allred says her family has been overwhelmed with the response. Allred says, "It's just been amazing. The outpour of love and support, people we don't even know have been donating and it's just amazing to see that." The Allred family has received donations and offers of help from as far away as Europe.
In fact, as of Friday afternoon, their "Go Fund Me" page has garnered more than $14,000 in donations, including one anonymous donation of $5,000. The family is already in the process of custom fitting a lightweight wheelchair for Crue and now they even have the money to get two of them.
Allred says, "you never know what could happen to the chair at school around the other kids and it's always nice to have a secondary chair just in case something does happen to his main chair."
The family is still fighting with Anthem Blue Cross to help pay for Crue's wheelchair. On Friday, they received word that there's now a chance it could happen. Allred says, "They said they have sent it through. We don't have anything in writing saying it's been accepted so we haven't really said much because we don't know but my husband called and said that it's been pushed through."
The Allreds want the best life for Crue. They're also hoping to get him a standing walker so he can learn how to put weight on his feet and develop properly. They're thankful to the community for the support and are still in disbelief of all who want to help their little boy live a successful life.
------
