Shelton mom battles with insurance company to get a wheelchair for special needs son
Shirley Lopez is a full-time registered nurse. She says she has never seen a situation as frustrating as the one she and her husband are going through.
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A Shelton mom is speaking publicly for the first time about her year-and-a-half battle to get a custom wheelchair for her son, who has special needs.
Shirley Lopez is a full-time registered nurse. She says she has never seen a situation as frustrating as the one she and her husband are going through.
"This system has been a fight throughout the whole time, and I'm hoping that this will shine some light on how difficult it is for families," said Shirley Lopez.
The couple has two children, 3-year-old Javi Lopez and 1-year-old Levi Lopez.
"Javi has had this angelic smile that's contagious since the time he was in the NICU," said Shirley Lopez.
Javi Lopez was born with a severe disability. His mom says she's been battling with her insurance company for more than a year and a half to pay for a custom $10,000 wheelchair.
"They said it was not medically necessary, so therefore, I had to go through various appeals, have specialist doctors write letters justifying his need for his wheelchair," said Shirley Lopez.
The parents say Javi Lopez has been accepted into a special needs pre-k program in Trumbull and is set to start in January, but they say he'll only be able to attend if they get him a custom wheelchair.
She says the wheelchair has already been built but is sitting in a warehouse while the fight for coverage drags on.
The family says they will need to pay for the wheelchair themselves. They have started a GoFundMe to help raise the money.
