news
Jonathan hill illustration
in-depth
Crowdfunding Medical Bills Social media and fundraising sites give families new ways to pay for health costs By Lisa Waananen
W
hen Alexandria Beeler was 10 years old, she was thrown from a snowmobile in a family friend’s yard on New Year’s Eve. She walked away with bruises, but the next day
her mother took her to the family doctor, who ordered an MRI, just in case. A few days later the family got a call — something was wrong. Brain scans showed scarring and inflammation, but doctors
couldn’t immediately determine a cause. It might have been there her whole life. They doubted she would live past 13. A dozen years and three brain biop...continued on next page AUGUST-SEPTEMBER, 2013
NEWS_AUG2013.indd 15
Health 15 7/24/13 4:14 PM